Bobcat or Wildcat

        “He can lick his weight in wildcats” was no mean compliment to a frontier scrapper. For a cornered wildcat-a hissing, spitting, snarling bundle of claws and fangs-fights like a demon. But left alone, he is wary of man. This cat is seldom tamed.

        Looking like an over-sized tomcat, he gets the name bobcat from his absurdly short tail, which twitches with excitement, hangs inert, or sticks impudently straight out. Because of the reddish tome of his coat, some tag him with a third name-bay lynx.

        Unlike the nonconforming Canada lynx, the adaptable bobcat lives wherever there is enough forest or brushland to provide adequate cover and food. Dark-shaded races live in northern forests, while paler cats match the sun-baked sand and chaparral of the Southwest. Home is usually an underground den in a thicket, or in a hollow log. There in a nest of dry leaves, two to four blind, helpless kittens are born in spring. The  father takes no part in rearing the family. Male bobcats are normally solitary.

        The bobcat is an expert tree climber, but hunts mostly on the ground, stalking small prey at night. Especially in the Southwest, where he is common, he checks rabbits and destructive rodents. But since he also takes a toll of game birds, fawns, and lambs, he’s not welcome near settled areas.

        Many states put a price on his head as a harmful predator. In some Michigan counties, however, he’s a favorite game animal, protected except during hunting season.

        Shoulder height 20-23 in. Weight 15-30 lbs. Range: S. Canada to Mexico. Characteristics: coat redder, more mottled than Canada lynx; short white-tipped tail.

Image via Wikipedia