If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 426

 American Bobcat (Lynx rufus)

[photo:  James T. Jones]

This unused Lantern Press postcard has the image  #33703 with a photograph of a handsome Bobcat in a tree by James T. Jones.  The card was purchased at the Verlot Ranger Station.  I confess to be partial to felines in general so it should not be a surprise that this card caught my eye. 

Bobcats are found throughout North America and are medium sized, ranging from 14 to 40 lbs. or between 6.4 to 18.3 kg, and stand between 12 and 24 inches or 30 to 60 cm at the shoulders.  As a comparison, my house cat weighs about 12 lbs. (5.4 kg) and stands approximately 11 inches  (27 cm) tall at the shoulder.  As the picture shows, the bobcat has a gray to brown coat with spots, tufted ears, a whiskered face and yellow eyes with black pupils.  Like many wild animals the coloring helps the cat blend in with its surroundings.  Not visible in the picture is the very short tail.  Unlike some other animals that are born with spots that they lose or those that acquire spots as they get older, the bobcat kittens have spotted fur when they are born and do not lose the spots.  Bobcats are identified as Lynx rufus.   Although I know they are there in the woods when we are hiking, we have never seen one in the wild.  

The bobcats we have here in the Pacific Northwest have a territory that spans from northwestern California to southwestern British Columbia, Canada.  Their ancestors are thought to have evolved from the Eurasian lynx that crossed the Bering Land Bridge into North America perhaps as much as more than 2 million years ago.  These early cats evolved into the modern bobcat about 20,000 years ago. 

When prey is abundant the bobcat will eat often but it can go for long periods without food.  Typically it prefers to hunt rabbits, hares, chickens, geese, other birds, small rodents, and even deer depending on the season and the location.  They are normally most active during twilight until about midnight and also in the early morning hours around dawn and shortly thereafter.  They are territorial and mostly solitary.  They can swim but do so out of necessity not choice.  They are excellent climbers, have a good sense of smell, and sharp hearing and vision.

Bobcats are adaptable and resilient.  They prefers woodlands but do not depend exclusively on the deep forest.  Unfortunately, it is hunted for its fur and as trophies, therefore, in some areas the numbers are declining.  The gestation period is between 60 and 70 days with normally 2 to 4 kittens in a litter born in April or May.  Sometimes the female will have a second litter as late as September.  

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobcat