Found throughout the state
in broken and brushy country, the bobcat,
sometimes called wildcat, while rarely seen,
is Arizona's most common wild feline. Usually
an overall orange to gray in color with black
markings, these medium-sized cats have a
length of from 2 to 2 ½ feet and weigh between
12 and 30 pounds. The underparts are whitish,
and small ear tufts are usually present.
The bobcat's most distinguishing characteristic,
however, is its short, 5- inch tail, which
is always less than 1/4 of the length of
its head and body. This feature, coupled
with the animal's black spotting, can be
used to distinguish bobcats from any other
feline in Arizona, wild or domestic.
Natural History
Little is known about Arizona's bobcats. Their principal prey are cottontail
rabbits and jackrabbits, but they also take both smaller mammals such as
pack rats and larger mammals including the young of some big game species.
Snakes and lizards are also part of the bobcat's diet.
Bobcats require two years to mature and attain breeding age. The breeding
season in Arizona is poorly documented, but appears to be mostly in late
winter or early spring. The gestation period is from 50 to 60 days so that
the one to three young are usually born in spring or early summer. As in
most cats, the female raises the kittens alone, nursing them for two months
before teaching them to hunt on their own.
Hunting and Trapping History
Sport hunters report taking between 1,200 and 1,300 bobcats a year. Most
of these animals are taken while pursuing other game or by predator calling.
This harvest appears relatively stable when compared to the numbers of
bobcats trapped and tagged for export. Ten years ago the numbers of bobcats
reportedly harvested and trapped were about equal, and 20 years ago the
number of bobcats trapped was approximately seven times that taken by sport
hunters. As recently as 1987, the number of bobcats trapped was reported
to exceed 6,500, and more than 5,000 export tags were issued to trappers
and fur dealers wanting to ship bobcat pelts out of state. Fewer than 500
bobcats have reportedly been trapped each year since 1994.
Habitat
