I've Got My Eye On You

I've Got My Eye On You

This sly bobcat had his eyes fixed on a bird. Seconds after this shot was taken, he was up in a tree after it.

Bobcats dwell in the shadows as is necessary for a predator depending on the element of suprise to ambush and kill its prey.

Bobcats are one and a half to two times larger than a typical house cat . Its body ength averages 36” including the tail. The average height of adult bobcat is 14-15” from ground to shoulder. Males range from 16 to 30 lbs, females average 20 lbs Bobcats have tufted ears and a tufted face both marked with bold bands, and a “bobbed” tail that is has a light underside and bold bands on top. The color of fur ranges from grayish brown to tawny to dark reddish brown and lighter on the undersides. It has dark spots in coat and dark bars on the forelegs. It has a lithe, flexible body with legs designed for climbing, pouncing and rapid acceleration. Its eyes are forward-facing yand yellow with black elongated pupils.

The bobcat inhabits more of North America than any other native wild feline. It ranges through our Western states, the Canadian border, the Atlantic and Gulf Coast states, and northern Mexico.

Supremely resourceful and adaptable, the bobcat thrives in habitats ranging from the dense chaparral of southern California, to the forests of British Columbia, to the citrus groves of central Florida, and to the swampy forests of the Gulf Coast. Like many animals, the bobcat especially favors the environmentally rich “ecotones,” or transitional zones between habitat types, for instance, a juncture of woodlands and grasslands or of old growth and new growth.

The bobcat’s varied habitats share certain characteristics, including, for instance sufficient prey, dense cover, protection from severe weather, availability of rest areas, availability of den sites, and freedom from disturbance.

Bobcats are strict carnivores and prey upon a wide variety of mammals, reptiles, and birds. A Florida bobcat, for instance, may prey – often pouncing from a height – on several dozen species within its range, including wildlife such as rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice, possums, raccoons, quail, jays, robins, wrens, sparrows and, occasionally, even deer. Opportunistic, it may also feed on fresh carrion. Typically, across its range, the bobcat favors the smaller mammals such as rabbits and rodents. As more of a generalist predator than its North American relatives, the cougar or the Canadian lynx, the bobcat has the ability to adapt to a wider range of habitats.

I've Got My Eye On You belongs to the following groups:

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