Title of presentation:
An Inside Look at the Intriguing, Elusive Bobcat
Speaker:
Date:
August 27, 2020
Description:
Project Coyote Wildlife Educator Sarah Killingsworth wears many hats. She is a practicing attorney, parent of two boys, active community volunteer, California Naturalist and incredibly talented wildlife photographer (on Instagram @skwildlifephotos) with a special passion for bobcats. In this free webinar, Sarah will share her extensive knowledge and captivating photos of these stealthy and elusive wild cats. Sarah will talk about surprising places you might find bobcats, as well as their similarities to and differences from our domestic felines. Sarah will also discuss the significant threats bobcats face today and how we can all do our part to ensure the survival of these magnificent animals. Read more about Sarah’s thoughts on wildlife and photography in her Notes from the Field interview here.
Webinar replay:
Questions & Answers from Webinar:
Question: What happened to the Kiawah Island bobcats? They believe the population decline is a result of habitat loss and rodenticide poisoning.
Answer: Rodenticide poisoning was identified as the cause of death in seven bobcats in the last year. The “Island Connection News” posts articles online
Q: Do bobcats & lynx ever interbreed?
A: I looked into this a little more after the webinar. People have interbred them in captivity, and there are just a few cases of interbreeding in the wild, documented in Maine and Minnesota.
Q: About how many bobcats are back in Delaware?
A: Not many. The few bobcats seen in Delaware seem to be ones with overlapping territories in neighboring states, who move in and out of Delaware.
Q: Can you recommend any books about bobcats?
A: There are very few books about bobcats. Most of my reading has been books about mammals, or wild cats, in addition to many articles summarizing scientific research. A few books (in addition to articles listed on the last slide of the presentation):
- Forest Cats of North America, by Jerry Kobalenko
- Peterson Reference Guide to the Behavior of North American Mammals (Peterson Reference Guides), by Dr. Mark Elbroch, Kurt Rinehart
- Bobcat, Master of Survival, by Kevin Hansen
Q: What sorts of dens do they raise their young in? (Amazing pictures of family life, by the way!)
A: Bobcats raise their young in protected areas with some sort of overhang: most commonly under rocky ledges, logs, or in suburban settings, even under decks.
Q: Are bobcats in competition with mountain lions depending on the nature of the habitat they live in together?
A: To a certain extent, yes, but not generally. Mountain lions tend to target larger prey (like deer, elk, bighorn sheep), so in most areas, bobcats are not competing with mountain lions for the small mammals. But both species do hunt deer in the Eastern United States. And in areas where prey is scarce, they may compete. In the West, coyotes hunt similar prey to bobcats.
Q: Do you have a suggestion about verbiage we can use to discourage the use of rodent poisons for our neighbors on Next Door? Maybe just “Just a reminder: please do not use rodenticides to kill mice and rats. 100% of Bobcats tested in suburban areas show traces of poison in their systems. They also kill birds and other wildlife.” (Just want to be accurate.)
A: Perhaps, “Please do not use rodenticides to kill mice, rats or gophers. Rodenticides poison animals beyond those rodents, and kill beautiful bobcats, owls, and many other species. Studies show that bobcats living near human development are poisoned throughout their lives by rodenticides. Visit ProjectCoyote.org or raptorsarethesolution.org for more information about ways to control rodents without rodenticides.”
Q: Is there evolutionary advantage to the short tail? Do they not hunt from above (on a tree branch for example) like some other cats, which use the long tail for balance in the air?
A: Although bobcats will climb trees or posts to escape threats, they do not hunt from trees. Given their hunting style of leaping and lunging on the ground, less weight is probably advantageous. They do not need a long tail for balance. The short tail is caused by a genetic mutation, and there is speculation as to whether it confers an advantage given their hunting style, or whether it simply happened and doesn’t have a negative impact, so persists.
Q: How long do bobcats live?
A: On average, a bobcat will live 7-12 years in the wild.
Q: What can we do about all those black bait boxes outside businesses and HOAs, parks, etc, which have poison in them?
A: You can write to business owners, local government officials and State representatives and ask them to cease use of bait boxes and other rodenticides. Letters to the editor and other public information campaigns are also helpful. See RATS website (raptorsarethesolution.org) for more information on alternatives to rodenticides.
Q: What parts of NJ can bobcats be found?
A: While bobcats used to live throughout New Jersey, they are currently only found in the Northern Counties in the State. The bobcat population in New Jersey is estimated at 250-280 animals. The Nature Conservancy is working to build “Bobcat Alley” in New Jersey, a protected greenspace in the state to provide bobcats with sufficient protected territory to thrive in the State again.
Q: When a mature bobcat separates from its mother, how far can it typically travel to establish its own territory?
A: Since bobcats are solitary and male territory doesn’t overlap with other males, and females do not overlap with other females, how far the kitten has to go depends on how many bobcats are in the area, and how large those bobcats’ territory is.
Q: You didn’t mention anything about the bobcat’s sense of smell.
A: Bobcats have a well-developed sense of smell. But for hunting, their vision and hearing are more important. The sense of smell is important behaviorally, in marking territory.
Q: Can bobcats come in tawny colors (without spots)?
A: Some bobcats have very faint spots, and as they age, appear to have almost no spots on their back and sides. But all bobcats have some striped or spotted white sections on their legs and stomach.
Q: How does kitten dispersal happen?
A: The kittens will move into an area without another bobcat – how far they have to go depends on other bobcats in the area and the availability of prey (the more prey available, the smaller their territory can be).
Q: Besides conflict sounds, do they have any calls?
A: They do have mating calls. And bobcats even purr when happy or excited (I have heard them purring when observing them at a wildlife rescue organization).
Q: What is recovery plan for Kiawah Island population? What is habitat carrying capacity within that bioregion?
A: They are hoping to have voluntary reduction of rodenticide use. That of course doesn’t address the habitat loss, which will require greenspaces to be created/maintained. The prior population was estimated at 30-35 bobcats, so that would seem to be the likely capacity.
Q: Do you have extensive video on bobcats?
A: Yes, I have hours of video of bobcats and bobcat kittens.
Q: During the recent hearings about AB 1788, almost every one of the pesticide companies that called in against the bill had been coached to say that they are “pro-public health”. What would you advise us to say to counter that? People are really scared of rats, and determined to get rid of gophers?
A: There are other, better ways to control rodents. By poisoning rodents, they are poisoning the natural sources of rodent control – predators and raptors – it is counter-productive. The RATS webpage (www.raptorsarethesolution.org) has a list of resources under the tab “Instead of Poison.”
These questions were answered live—please view the Q&A at the end of the presentation for responses.
- Has COVID-19 been found in any bobcats?
- Do bobcats only exist in North America?
General comments and information about rodenticides:
- Information is available from Poison Free Malibu on rodenticides.
- Almost every business has a rodenticide box outside the building.
- I literally just saw a black box today 🙁
For the wild,
