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Range and Distribution | |
| Description
Reproduction Author: Bryan Gullion |
The bobcat is very widespread across North America. Its
range spans from coast to coast and from southern Canada to southern Mexico. Within this
area the bobcat is only absent from areas of high agriculture and human concentration in
an area that extends from the Dakotas through the Midwest to parts of the Atlantic coast
(Blum, 1996). Bobcats utilize many types of habitat including hardwood forest, wooded
swamps, coniferous forests, riparian areas, deserts, and rocky mountain terrain. Ledges
are the most critical terrain. They appear to be activity centers that also provide cover
from weather and harassment (Chapman and Feldhamer, 1982). Unlike most carnivores, which
live only in wilderness areas, the bobcat is found on the edges of America’s cities
and suburbs (Turbak, 1999). The annual home ranges of males extensively overlap those of
other males and females, whereas little female/female overlap occurs. The average annual
home range size for males is 100% larger than that of females (Lovallo and Anderson,
1996). The size of a bobcat’s home range is tailored to match the abundance of prey.
The more plentiful the prey the smaller the hunting ground needs to be. Most trespassing
is prevented by "keep out" signs in the form of urine or feces deposits (Turbak,
1996).
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