What the sources say
BobcatLynx rufus
Every figure, record and mechanism on the Bobcat profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 39 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.
Profile updated
Source
01
Kelly, Morin & Lopez-Gonzalez 2016
Kelly, Morin & Lopez-Gonzalez (2016). Lynx rufus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T12521A50655874.
- The page saysThe IUCN Red List rates the species Least Concern
- The source says
IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).
Note: GBIF copy of Red List; stats.conservationStatus: Least Concern
Source
02
Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Bobcat. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
- The page saysA spotted, short-tailed stalker that steps its back feet into its front-foot prints to cut the noise of the hunt.
- The source says
They will place their back feet in the same spots where their front feet have stepped to reduce noise when hunting.
Note: tagline - The page saysA spotted, short-tailed stalker
- The source says
The bobcat's black-spotted, brown coat blends in well with the rocks, brush and other dense vegetation
Note: tagline: spotted - The page saysForests, swamps, deserts and scrub from southern Canada to Mexico
- The source says
they range from Mexico to southern Canada
Note: stats.habitat - The page saysForests, swamps, deserts and scrub
- The source says
boreal coniferous and mixed forests in the north, bottomland hardwood forests and coastal swamps in the southeast, and desert and scrublands in the southwest
Note: stats.habitat - The page saysMostly rabbits and hares, plus rodents, birds and small deer
- The source says
Bobcats mostly eat rabbits and hares. They may also eat rodents, such as squirrels and mice, or hunt small deer
Note: stats.diet - The page saysbirds
- The source says
They can even leap high enough to catch low-flying birds.
Note: stats.diet - The page saysSteps its back feet into its front-foot prints to cut the noise of its stalk
- The source says
They will place their back feet in the same spots where their front feet have stepped to reduce noise when hunting.
Note: stats.superpower - The page saysTo cut the noise it makes while hunting, a bobcat sets each back foot down in a spot where a front foot has already stepped.
- The source says
They will place their back feet in the same spots where their front feet have stepped to reduce noise when hunting.
- The page saysit can run at up to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h)
- The source says
can run up to 30 miles per hour (48 kilometers per hour)
- The page saysIt is generally 46 to 64 cm tall at the shoulder and weighs between 4 and 15 kg.
- The source says
They are generally 1.5-2 feet (46-64 centimeters) tall at the shoulder and weigh between 9 and 33 pounds (4 and 15 kilograms).
- The page saysBobcats are bigger in the north of their range and smaller in the south.
- The source says
Bobcats vary in size along their continental range, with larger animals found in the north and smaller animals in the south.
- The page saysThe United States holds the majority of the world's bobcats, and the species ranges from Mexico up to southern Canada.
- The source says
The majority of the world's bobcats are found in the United States, but they range from Mexico to southern Canada.
- The page saysnorthern conifer forests, southeastern swamps, and southwestern deserts and scrub
- The source says
boreal coniferous and mixed forests in the north, bottomland hardwood forests and coastal swamps in the southeast, and desert and scrublands in the southwest
- The page saysPeople often mistake a bobcat for one of its three lynx relatives, the Canada, Iberian and Eurasian lynx.
- The source says
Bobcats are often confused with the other three "lynx" species, the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx and Eurasian lynx.
- The page saysCompared with the other lynx, bobcats are slightly smaller and live in warmer climates.
- The source says
Bobcats are slightly smaller than other lynx and live in warmer climates at lower latitudes.
- The page saysThe others live in cold northern places where snow lies deep, and have densely furred footpads; the bobcat's footpads are bare.
- The source says
The other lynx species occupy cold, northern latitudes where snow lies deep for much of the year and temperatures can reach lows of -70 degrees Fahrenheit (-57 degrees Celsius). Their footpads are well protected with a dense covering of fur, while the bobcat's footpads are bare.
- The page saysBlack spots on a brown coat hide it among the rocks and brush where it hunts the cottontail rabbit, its main prey.
- The source says
The bobcat's black-spotted, brown coat blends in well with the rocks, brush and other dense vegetation where it hunts its main prey: the cottontail rabbit.
- The page saysA mother's kittens probably follow the two white spots on the backs of her ears when the light is dim.
- The source says
The backs of a bobcat's ears are marked with two white spots, which a female's kittens probably follow in dim light.
- The page saysA kitten that lags behind makes the mother stop, call softly and lift her tail to flash the white patch underneath.
- The source says
If kittens fall too far behind their mother, the mother stops and softly calls to them while raising her tail to reveal the white patch below.
- The page saysBobcats mostly eat rabbits and hares. They may also eat rodents such as squirrels and mice, and can leap high enough to catch low-flying birds.
- The source says
Bobcats mostly eat rabbits and hares. They may also eat rodents, such as squirrels and mice, or hunt small deer, snakes, lizards and domestic animals, such as dogs, cats, sheep, goats and poultry. They can even leap high enough to catch low-flying birds.
- The page saysThey are solitary and mostly active around dawn and dusk.
- The source says
studies have consistently found that they are crepuscular (most active at dawn and dusk)
- The page saysThey are solitary
- The source says
Bobcats are solitary and territorial animals.
- The page saysEach marks its territory with urine, droppings, anal gland secretions and scrapes in the ground, and rarely uses sound to warn other bobcats off.
- The source says
They rarely use sound to deter other bobcats and instead rely on urine, feces and anal gland secretions, as well as marking scrapes in the ground.
- The page saysMost bobcats live five to 15 years in the wild.
- The source says
Most bobcats live between five and 15 years in the wild.
- The page saysIn human care the median is about 18 years
- The source says
The median life expectancy of a bobcat in human care is about 18 years.
- The page saysThe Smithsonian's National Zoo says bobcats may be hunted for pelts but face a greater threat from habitat loss.
- The source says
Bobcats may be hunted for their pelts, but they face a greater threat from habitat loss.
- The page saysAt up to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h), according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
- The source says
can run up to 30 miles per hour (48 kilometers per hour)
- The page saysA bobcat is slightly smaller, lives in warmer climates and has bare footpads.
- The source says
Bobcats are slightly smaller than other lynx and live in warmer climates at lower latitudes. The other lynx species occupy cold, northern latitudes where snow lies deep for much of the year and temperatures can reach lows of -70 degrees Fahrenheit (-57 degrees Celsius). Their footpads are well protected with a dense covering of fur, while the bobcat's footpads are bare.
- The page saysA Canada lynx lives farther north, where snow lies deep, on fur-covered footpads and longer legs for travelling through it.
- The source says
Bobcats are slightly smaller than other lynx and live in warmer climates at lower latitudes. The other lynx species occupy cold, northern latitudes where snow lies deep for much of the year and temperatures can reach lows of -70 degrees Fahrenheit (-57 degrees Celsius). Their footpads are well protected with a dense covering of fur, while the bobcat's footpads are bare. They also have shorter tails and longer legs for traveling through deep snow
- The page saysUsually two to four, with a gestation of about 60 to 70 days.
- The source says
Gestation is about 60-70 days, with an average of 62 days, and there are usually two to four kittens per litter.
- The page saysThe mother nurses them for two months.
- The source says
The female nurses the kittens for two months.
- The page saysTo cut the noise of a hunt, a bobcat sets each back foot down where a front foot has already stepped
- The source says
They will place their back feet in the same spots where their front feet have stepped to reduce noise when hunting.
Note: vibe.reason
Source
03
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan
Lynx rufus (bobcat). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.
- The page saysBobcats got their name because of their short tails.
- The source says
bobcats got their name because of their short tails
Note: tagline: short-tailed - The page saysIt stalks, then pounces, and if the pounce works it kills with a bite to the vertebrae, the bones of the neck.
- The source says
Stealthy hunters, they stalk their prey, then pounce and (if successful) kill with a bite to the vertebrae of the neck.
- The page saysA bobcat's body runs 65 to 105 cm long, with the tail adding 11 to 19 cm.
- The source says
Bobcats range in length from 65 to 105 cm, with the tail adding an extra 11 to 19 cm
- The page saysA territory can be one to seven square kilometres.
- The source says
Range territory size 1 to 7 km^2
- The page saysdangerLevel: Medium
- The source says
On rare occasions humans are attacked by bobcats.
Note: task #1246; Medium: can injure, but rarely seriously. Weight left unrecorded: Smithsonian 4 to 15 kg straddles the 10 kg class line.
Source
04
AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources
AnAge entry for Lynx rufus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.
- The page saysthe AnAge database records one captive bobcat that reached 32.3 years
- The source says
One specimen lived 32.3 years in captivity
Note: years
How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.