Mass Wildlife’s Furbearer and Black Bear Project Leader Laura Hajduk spoke to a small group of friends and supporters of two local land trusts tonight at West Brookfield’s Merriam-Gilbert Library. What a wealth of information she provided! She showed us marvelous photos and even a video clip; she also brought with her some pelts which we were invited to touch.
I took a lot of notes but will present only a few of the interesting facts about Lynx rufus. Bobcats are the only wild feline living in our state; they are solitary and wide-ranging predators who stalk their prey.
The Massachusetts landscape has undergone dramatic changes over the past 300 years; changes in land use from intensive farming to farm abandonment had an enormous impact on wildlife; species such as beaver, turkey, bear, and fisher which had almost disappeared by 1830 all made a comeback in the late 20th century.
Bobcats are not as adaptable to the suburban environment as coyotes (Canis latrans), but there is no longer a bounty on them, and a restrictive hunting season has helped stabilize the population.
The bobcat looks like a housecat but is larger (15-35 pounds) with distinctive features. It is spotted, with white underparts, cheek ruffs, ear tufts, black moons on the backs of its ears, a 4-10 inch long bobbed tail with a black and white tip, and dentition exhibiting carnassial pairs (meaning teeth designed for shearing chunks of meat). Because bobcats have retractable claws, their tracks are also distinctive, with two lobes on the footpad in a rounded, not oval, shape.
Males and females mate in January-February (you might hear them yowling), and the young are born in April-May. A female bobcat will usually bear one litter with an average of two kittens per year. The kittens remain with their mom for a year (males do not help with parenting).
The cats are shy, elusive, and generally silent; they are active day or night, and year-round. They are proficient climbers and sleep where they feel safe (rocky outcrops or even in the brush). Their territories may be as large as 30 square miles for one female (who does not tolerate other females); a male’s range is much larger (and they do tolerate other males). They prefer forests, bogs, swamps, and brushy field edges; the highest quality habitat is a large tract of forested land. They prey on rabbits, hares, mice, other small mammals, and even deer. An average lifespan is probably around 3.5 years; they can live to be as old as 10, but that is very rare.
Bobcats are more common in the southern United States; we don’t really have good population estimates for Massachusetts. There may be 1000-1500 resident cats statewide.
As a top predator, the bobcat has ecological significance. I also believe that as fellow creatures, they have intrinsic value. I wish I could post a photo of a bobcat, but I have never seen one. If I ever do, I’ll certainly report a sighting to Mass Wildlife.