 The
Bobcat in Massachusetts
Click here for a downloadable PDF file containing information on Bobcats
in Massachusetts.
Description: The only wild cat now found in Massachusetts,
the bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a medium sized feline approximately
twice the size of a domestic house cat. The bobcat can be easily identified
by its short, “bobbed” tail (3.5-7.5 inches), prominent face
ruff, and slightly tufted ears. The coat of short, dense fur can vary
in color from a yellowish to reddish brown with distinct or faint black
spots along its flanks and white under parts that are also spotted with
black. In summer their fur tends to be shorter and more reddish in color
becoming longer and much paler in the winter although there can be much
variation in color among individual animals. Adult bobcats weigh between
15 and 35 pounds and measure 28-47 inches in overall length. Size varies
depending on sex with male bobcats being approximately 33% larger than
their female counterparts. Bobcat tracks may sometimes be confused with
the tracks of domestic housecats although adult bobcat prints are much
larger than those left by a wandering housecat. Bobcat tracks have four
toes in the front and back although the front foot actually has five toes.
The fifth toe is raised high on the forefeet so it does not leave an impression
when it walks. The claws also do not leave an impression as they are usually
retracted.
Life History: Bobcats breed from February through March.
They are polygamous and do not form lasting pair bonds. The young are
born after a 62 day gestation period sometime in April or May. Female
bobcats produce one litter each year consisting of 1-4 kittens, with an
average litter size of 2. The female is the exclusive provider given that
the male bobcat does not participate in the raising of the young. The
kittens are born in a den lined with dried grass, leaves, moss, and other
soft vegetation that the female scrapes into the den. Dens are located
in rock crevices, under rocky ledges, in caves, in brush piles, or in
hollow trees, stumps, or logs. Females may use the same den sites for
several years in a row.
At birth the kittens are blind and helpless but have already developed
a thick coat of spotted fur. The female nurses the kittens until they
reach two months of age. At one month of age the young begin taking solid
food and venturing from the den. The young remain with the adult female
until they are full grown, usually through their first fall or winter.
Female bobcats reach sexual maturity at one year of age although they
do not typically produce their first litter until two years of age. Male
bobcats do not reach sexual maturity until two years of age. Bobcats live
an average of twelve years in the wild and females continue to produce
one litter per year until death. Although some young fall prey to owls,
coyotes, and adult male bobcats, the number one mortality factor affecting
the survival of both kittens and juvenile bobcats is related to food abundance.
 Habits:
Bobcats are shy, solitary, and generally elusive animals. Although they
are generally silent, bobcats have a large repertoire of noises that they
can produce. When confronted by an enemy, a bobcat may scowl, snarl, and
spit, during the breeding season they may also be heard screaming from
time to time. Bobcats maintain well defined home ranges that vary in size
depending on prey abundance, season, climate, and the sex of the individual.
Male bobcats maintain larger home ranges than females and it is not uncommon
for individual animals to travel up to four miles daily. Both male and
female bobcats use scent marking to mark well used trails and den sites.
Their use of scent is thought to help individual animals avoid direct
contact with each other as they move within their home ranges. Bobcats
can be active day or night but tend to exhibit crepuscular (dawn and dusk)
activity. Their activity peaks three hours before sunset until midnight
and again between one hour before and four hours after sunrise. They remain
active year round and do not hibernate. Bobcats are proficient climbers
and will climb trees to rest, chase prey, or escape from predators (chiefly
domestic dogs). Like domestic cats, bobcats try to avoid water whenever
possible but when forced to flee to water they can swim quite well. Bobcats
are well adapted to a wide variety of habitat types. They can be found
using mountainous areas with rocky ledges, hardwood forests, swamps, bogs,
and brushy areas close to fields. Bobcats are well capable of dealing
with human influences but tend to avoid areas with extensive agriculturally
cleared lands that eliminate other habitat types. Bobcats can be classified
as common in central and western Massachusetts, present in northeastern
Massachusetts, and rare to absent in southeastern Massachusetts. It is
thought that one of the limiting factors to bobcat expansion is the absence
of suitable rocky ledges that provide cover and den sites in certain areas
of the state.
Food: Bobcats are classified as carnivores. They hunt by
stalking (creeping from cover to cover) prey until they are close enough
to pounce or they may wait on a trail or in a tree to ambush prey as it
passes by, they may also run down their prey over short distances. Although
bobcats have a fairly good sense of smell, they rely primarily on their
keen eyesight and hearing to detect both prey and danger. They most commonly
prey on medium sized animals such as rabbits and hares but will eat mice,
squirrels, skunk, opossum, muskrat, birds, snakes, and other available
items. Occasionally bobcats will prey upon larger animals such as deer
but this is generally when other food items are scarce and only sick,
injured, young or very old animals are likely to be killed. When food
is plentiful, bobcats will cache the excess by covering it with leaves,
grass or snow and return to feed off of it repeatedly.
History in Massachusetts: In the past the bobcat was viewed
as both a varmint and predator. Until 1968 it was legal to hunt bobcat
year round and a bounty was paid to anyone harvesting a bobcat. In 1969,
Massachusetts was the first state in the northeast to reclassify the bobcat
as a game animal for which a regulated hunting season was established
in 1971. As part of the regulated hunting season it was made mandatory
for hunters to check all harvested bobcats and it also closed the bobcat
hunting season during the time when the deer season was open. In 1977
the state created a zoned season that only allowed for the harvest of
bobcats west of route 31 and the current limit of 50 bobcats was established
due to high fur prices and the increased demand for bobcat furs. Today
there remains a regulated trapping and hunting season for bobcats with
a state limit set at 50 animals. Bobcats are an important natural resource
in Massachusetts. They are classified as a furbearer species for which
an established trapping and hunting season and management program exists.
Compared to many other wildlife species bobcats rarely cause conflicts
with human activities. Occasionally a bobcat may kill livestock but it
is not a significant problem in Massachusetts. If you are experiencing
problems with, or have questions regarding bobcats, contact your nearest
MassWildlife
District Office. Further information on bobcats and other native furbearers
is also available on our website: www.masswildlife.org.
Click here for a downloadable
PDF file containing information on Bobcats
in Massachusetts.
Questions? Comments? Email us! Mass.Wildlife@state.ma.us
Date Last Updated:
September 14, 2004
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