The bobcat is rarely observed because of its solitary, mainly nocturnal habits. It is active during all seasons, has excellent senses of sight, smell, and hearing, and is an excellent climber.

Species Measurements:
- Adult Total Length: 660-1,016 mm (26-40 in.)
- Tail: 100-165 mm (4-6 in.)
- Hind Foot: 127-195 mm (5-7 in.)
- Weight: 4-13.5 kg (9-30 lb.)

Description:
The bobcat is a medium-sized cat with a short, broad face set off by a ruff of fur extending from the ear down to the lower jaw. The prominent pointed ears possess short ear tufts at their tips. The backs of the ears are blackish with a centrally-located white spot. The fur is brownish to pale yellowish interspersed with gray and consists of a mixture of tawny hairs tipped with black and white. The chin and belly are whitish with dark spots. The short tail has a tip that is black only on the top.

Habitat:
Deciduous forests with much undergrowth and numerous clearings provide good habitat in the eastern United States. Bobcats also inhabit river bottom swamps.

Reproduction:
Most litters are born in April and May after a 50 to 70 day gestation. Litters usually consist of two to three kittens but may range from one to five. Little or no nest is provided for the young, which are born in a dry, well-hidden, and inaccessible den. Newborn kittens have a mottled coat, have their eyes closed, are about 250 mm long, and weigh up to 340 g. The eyes open in 9 to 10 days. The young nurse for approximately two months, after which their diet is composed of meat. The young disperse during the fall and winter.

Longevity:
Average longevity in the wild is probably between six and eight years.

Terrestrial Ecology:
The bobcat is rarely observed because of its solitary, mainly nocturnal habits. It is active during all seasons. It has excellent senses of sight, smell, and hearing, and is an excellent climber. Shelters may be in a hollow log, inside a hollow snag, or in a thicket.
The main foods are rabbits and rodents. Hamilton (1943) remarked: "A few stomachs which I examined from the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina contained the remains of beetles, rabbits and a small box turtle." Examination of the stomach of an adult bobcat killed by a car on the Newfound Gap Road in Tennessee (3,700 feet) revealed eight shrews (Sorex sp.), six woodland jumping mice (Napaeozapus insignis), five rock voles (Microtus chrotorrhinus), one deermouse (Peromyscus sp.), and one small bird (Stupka, 1952). An individual found dead near Cliff Branch (2,600 feet) in December 1953, had eaten a gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) (Stupka, 1953). A freshly killed, partially eaten woodchuck (Marmota monax) covered with leaves was found in January by Stupka above Big Cove (3,200 feet) near the park boundary. Many bobcat tracks were present in the snow nearby. A bobcat with a grouse in its mouth was observed on Clingmans Dome Road in 1990.
A statewide winter food habits study in North Carolina revealed rabbits, birds, cotton rats, white-tailed deer, small rodents, gray squirrels, raccoons, and opossums as the main food items by frequency of occurrence (King et al., 1983). Small numbers of reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects were also identified.

Predators and Defense:
Adult bobcats have relatively few enemies, although foxes and great horned owls may kill young.

Parasites:
Bobcats taken by the Komareks were heavily infested with fleas (Komarek and Komarek, 1938).

The bobcat formerly ranged from southern Canada throughout most of the United States, south to central Mexico. It has been extirpated from densely settled areas, and from much of the central portion of the United States, but is a fairly common resident at all elevations throughout the park.

References:

Hamilton, W.J., Jr. 1943. The Mammals of Eastern North America. Ithaca, New York: Comstock Publishing Company.

King, A.M., R.A. Lancia, S.D. Miller, D.K. Woodward, and J.D. Hair. 1983. Winter Food Habits of Bobcats in North Carolina. Brimleyana 9: 111-122.

Komarek, E. V. and R. Komarek. 1938. Mammals of the Great Smoky Mountains. Bulletin of the Chicago Academy of Science 5(6): 137-162.

Lariviere, S. and L.R. Walton. 1991. Lynx rufus. Mammalian Species No. 563: 1-8. American Society of Mammalogists.

Linzey, D. W. 1995a. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc., Blacksburg, Virginia.

Linzey, D. W. 1995b. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park-1995 Update. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 111(1): 1-81.

Stupka, A. 1935 - 63. Nature Journal, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 28 vols. (years) each with index. (Typewritten copy in files of Great Smoky Mountains National Park library).