How Did Bobcats Come Back from the Brink?

Bobcat populations weren't doing so well a few decades ago, but these resilient wild cats are on the rebound. Learn about bobcats in this episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey
brain Stuff, Lauren vog obam here. If you live in
the United States, you might have never seen a bobcat
in the wild, but that doesn't mean they're not there,
and it doesn't mean there's not a bobcat sighting in
your future. Bobcat's taxonomical name, Lynx rufus, are doing great,

(00:22):
thanks for asking. These days, they're pretty common and can
be found in almost every state in the lower forty eight,
as well as throughout most of Mexico and parts of Canada.
They look a bit like a domestic housecat, so much
so the people have accidentally rescued bobcat kittens from the
side of the road. Except the adult bobcats grow to
be as big as a mid sized dog and are
a far site less friendly. With a sleek, brown spotted coat,

(00:46):
a short tail, and tufted ears. You would never mistake
a grown bobcat for a pet, but you might mistake
it for a Canadian lynx. That's Lynx canadensis in North America.
The difference between a bobcat and a lynx has a
bit to do with the size of the feet, the
color of the coat, and the length of the ear tufts. Links. However,
live in northern latitudes and high elevations, and bobcats can

(01:08):
be found almost anywhere deserts, wetlands, forests, you name it. Also,
bobcats have notoriously assertive personalities. According to the San Diego Zoo,
they're referred to by zookeepers as the spitfires of the
animal kingdom for their unwillingness to back down from a
kill and just general audacity. A full grown bobcat is
only about thirty three pounds that's fifteen kilos, but is

(01:30):
able to bring down a two hundred and fifty pound
deer by itself that's about a hundred and ten kilos.
Not only are bobcats tenacious, they're also resilient and adaptable
to land use change. We spoke with John litt Vedis,
Emeritus Professor in the Department of Natural Resources in the
Environment at the University of New Hampshire. According to litt
Vedis's research, bounty records from New Hampshire from the early

(01:52):
eighteen hundreds to today show that as old growth trees
were cleared for agriculture and timber replaced in many places,
with she young forests, bobcat numbers skyrocketed. Their favorite foods, rabbits, deer, grouse,
and basically anything else that likes to live in a scrubby,
impenetrable thicket were well supported by a young forest, But

(02:14):
as the forests aged into old ones that didn't harbor
as many rabbits, and as coyotes, which compete with bobcats
were introduced to New Hampshire, and as bobcat firs became
popular in the mid twentieth century, numbers plummeted. These factors,
accompanied by some particularly harsh winters in New Hampshire in
the nineteen seventies and eighties, resulted in the bobcat population

(02:35):
tanking by the population in this state, where they had
once flourished, was most likely fewer than a hundred and
fifty animals. A similar trend could be seen all over
the United States. But then the states started protecting bobcats
by putting strict limits on how many could be hunted
or trapped. With less human intervention, bobcats are doing much
better Vedas said, bobcat populations are increasing now throughout much

(03:00):
of their geographic range. I'm amazed at the abilities they
have to adapt to a demanding and changing environment. Because,
unlike coyotes and foxes, bobcats are strict carnivores, so their
diet places substantial challenges to acclimating to suburban and urban life.
In New Hampshire, bobcat numbers were estimated to be around
one thousand four and are even higher today. So how

(03:24):
do they manage maintaining a strict carnivores diet while living
catches catch can and human centered landscapes. They work smarter,
not harder, preying on our backyard chickens and other animals
that do well hanging out around people, Veta said. In
the Northeast, staying close to a bird feeder during winter
seems to help bobcats snag unsuspecting squirrels and thus get

(03:45):
through the toughest time of the year. Of course, cohabiting
with humans isn't always great for either the bobcat or
the humans. The cats are more likely to be hit
by cars or have unpleasant run ins with humans if
they're lounging around in someone's backyard waiting for a turk
key or chipmunk to wander through. Should you encounter a bobcat,
the best advice is to give it as much respect

(04:06):
and space as possible. Similarly, a small dog or housecat
might be targeted by a bobcat as a potential meal,
and domestic cats are susceptible to a tick boorn disease
called bobcat fever, for which bobcats are the natural host.
In the meantime, bobcats are doing so well that some
states like Illinois have passed laws reinstating bobcat hunting and
trapping season for the first time in forty years. But

(04:29):
now the question is how do we maintain a good
relationship with bobcat neighbors. It's tricky, but public education about
how to safely cohabitate with bobcats will help. Mostly, as
we said, leave them alone, don't feed them, and keep
an eye on children and animals if you've spotted one
in the neighborhood. Also, like any housecat, they'll take the
hint that they're not welcome if you spray them with water.

(04:51):
Leveda said, I'm happy they're thriving. For me, they symbolize
the wild portrait of nature, and I'm glad they're doing well.
Today's episode was written by Jessicuin Shields and produced by
Tyler clang. Brain Stuff is a production of iHeart Radios
How Stuff Works. For more in this and lots of
other catty topics, visit our home planet has stuff works

(05:12):
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