How many bobcats are there left the world

Most of their activities are confined to their territory, where it has a main den and many shelters. The bobcat preys on rabbits and hares, in addition to hunting birds, insects, chickens, rodents and deer.

They stalk their prey and pounce for the kill. The cat is most active at twilight. It can climb trees and swim if necessary. Like most wild cats, bobcats lead a solitary life. They can go without food for long periods of time. Females are pregnant for 60 or 70 days. A male travels with a female from winter to early spring, and will mate with her multiple times while they are together. Kittens are born in covered spaces, and have quite a bit of fur and spots.

They open their eyes around the ninth or tenth day after birth. Bobcats live for seven to ten years in the wild. Bobcats have been aggressively hunted for their fur, as well as for sport. Their range in Canada has been expanding northward with forest clearance and warmer winters. Unlike the Canada lynx, they are not found in the northern latitudes where deep snow restricts their movements.

They generally favour low and mid elevations, but have been found at 3, metres in Mexico. Female ranges are more exclusive. Young males disperse and travel long distances in search of an unoccupied territory, while females often settle near or partially within the range of their mother. Forty-eight US states, seven Canadian provinces and Mexico were surveyed, with all locations except Florida reporting increased populations.

The Bobcat is found in each of the contiguous states except Delaware. Its US population was estimated to be from 2,, — 3,, individuals. The population in Mexico is not well known, and it appears to be very rare in some central areas. These tough little cats survive mainly because they are secretive, cantankerous, will eat almost any type of prey and can live in almost any kind of habitat. Like their close relatives the Canada Lynx, they prey primarily on rabbits, but are less of a specialist.

They are reasonably tolerant of human disturbance, adapting well to altered habitat. They hunt by day or night, and as opportunistic feeders, prey on whatever is most abundant. Although they are heavily persecuted as livestock killers, the majority of their prey species are destructive agricultural pests. Despite their small size, Bobcats can also be effective predators of deer, taking animals weighing up to ten times their own body weight which are generally killed when resting.

They are mainly ground dwellers, but can climb trees with ease and are excellent swimmers. Bobcats are solitary animals, and the males and females associate only during the breeding season, which runs from December to April, with the earliest breeding occurring at the lower latitudes.

Only resident cats with established territories raise litters. While males may breed with several females, the females typically mate with only one male. Gestation is 50 — 70 days, with one to six, usually two to four, kittens being born in a den, hollow log, under a rock ledge or in dense thickets. The kittens are born with faint marks on their back and sides, and dark streaks on their faces that fade as they grow.

They open their eyes after about nine days. They nurse for about three to four months, and at five months of age the mother takes them out hunting. They stay with her until the next breeding season. Bobcats are sexually mature at about one year for the females, and two years for the males. They have been known to live over 33 years in captivity, and 12 — 13 years in the wild.

A habitat dense with vegetation and lots of prey is ideal. Bobcats are excellent hunters, stalking prey with stealth and patience, then capturing their meals with one great leap. Usually solitary and territorial animals, females never share territory with each other. Male territories, however, tend to overlap. Territories are established with scent markings, and territory sizes are extremely varied-generally square miles for males and about five square miles for females.

Approximately , to 1,, bobcats remain in the wild. In Mexico, bobcats are persecuted as sheep predators and are frequently killed by farmers. They are still hunted and trapped for their fur throughout most of their range. Nobody knows what this means for the species' future. The last administration failed to protect many species on the brink of extinction. Help save them now.

The Mexican bobcat, the southernmost subspecies of bobcat, has been classified as an endangered species since , but under pressure from the National Trappers Association, the Bush administration proposed its delisting — an action that would legalize the importation of Mexican bobcat furs into the United States.