Range
Bobcats are found throughout Oregon in riparian, mixed conifer, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, aspen, white oak and mixed conifer-hardwood forest types.
Description
It is typically 17 to 23 inches tall and 25 to 41 inches long, weighing 16 to 28 pounds, with females being considerably smaller than males. In general, it is yellow with gray overtones in winter and reddish overtones in summer, reflecting the two annual molts. The ears are black with a large white spot, and the tail is black-tipped.
Diet and habitat
It hunts rabbits and hares, but also birds and small mammals such as mice and mountain beaver.
Predators and threats
Humans pose the greatest threat to the bobcat, through forest habitat conversion to development and farmland.
Reproduction
Mating season is usually in late winter, with the kittens born in early spring after a gestation lasting 50 to 70 days. Kittens leave their mother’s territory at between 8 and 11 months old.