Bobcats are the most common wildcats in the United States.  This is probably because they can live in all kinds of habitats like forests, mountains, plains, swamps and semideserts.  They can also make a den in anything from a hollow tree to a small rocky cave.  The things bobcats like to eat are also commonly found throughout the United States:  rabbits, rodents, birds and deer.  Bobcats may travel anywhere from a mile to six miles a day looking for prey.  Imagine if you had to walk that far before breakfast!

Bobcats usually don’t like to chase their prey very far, so they live in areas where there is a lot of cover.  This helps them to sneak up on their prey very slowly and carefully or hides them while they wait for something for breakfast to come along.  Then they make a quick leap in hopes of catching it.

 

Female bobcats usually have two or three kittens.  A young bobcat may be in danger of being the prey of a fox, owl, coyote, mountain lion or even an adult male bobcat.  However, around eight-months-old bobcats are considered adults and able to care for themselves.  Most likely, you were not even able to walk when you were eight-months-old.  Humans are the only threat to an adult bobcat.  Occasionally bobcats might eat small farm animals, so farmers have tried to protect their livestock by killing bobcats.  In the past bobcats were also hunted for their fur.  This means although they are very common in many places, in some places they are very rare.  In Ohio, the bobcat is on the state endangered species list.