Backpacker Magazine – April 2008

See More: Bobcats And Coyotes

Unlike their cougar and wolf cousins, these cats and dogs are (often) easier to spot.

by: Becky Lomax

Bobcat | Coyote

One is elusive and solitary. The other is loud and gregarious. Two species with opposing temperaments: It's no surprise that Native American legends portray the bobcat and the coyote as rivals. But these clever predators often share the same habitat and prey. And while hunters and trappers almost wiped out their larger cousins–the mountain lion and wolf–more than one million bobcats and several million coyotes live throughout North America. Here's what enables these midsize hunters to thrive in a tough carnivore niche–and how to tell them apart from their less common relatives.

Bobcat
This quiet hunter is ferocious when cornered.

(Habitat)
Found coast to coast, bobcats inhabit woodlands, swamps, semi-deserts, and alpine zones. Their hunting territories fluctuate from 30 square miles in deserts to several hundred acres in forests where food is more plentiful. They maintain several dens–usually thickets, rock ledges, or crevices–throughout their range.

(Behavior)
Female bobcats are more territorial than males, though both are mainly solitary. Their brief, polygamous midwinter mating season is marked by the screams, yowls, and hisses from competing male suitors. In the spring, females alone raise two to four kits born fully furred, but blind, in a cave or burrow.

(Adaptations)
Sharp hearing, keen smell, and slitlike pupils that widen dramatically in low light help these cats hunt at night. Spotted fur keeps them hidden from their main natural predator–mountain lions. Long hind legs enable them to leap up to 8 feet high and 12 feet across.

(Hunting)
Bobcats hunt alone just after twilight or before dawn. They grasp prey with retractable claws and kill–like mountain lions–with a crushing bite to the neck. They prefer ambushes and short-distance chases. Healthy bobcats almost never attack humans, but can kill pets.

Bobcat | Coyote

Subscribe to Backpacker magazine
Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter