By Misi Stine, Environmental Educator and member of the MN Herpetological Society
In this second installment of Wild Cats of Minnesota, we will discuss the remaining two wild cats found in the state: the bobcat (Lynx rufus) and the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). Both species are medium-sized cats, and their size ranges overlap, although the lynx appears larger due to its physical features.
Bobcats measure approximately 2.5 to 3 feet in length, with a 4–6-inch tail, and weigh between 20–40 pounds, with males on the larger end of the scale. In comparison, lynx range between 30–35 inches in length, with a tail measuring 1.5–3 inches long, and weigh between 18–23 pounds. However, lynx appear larger due to their thick fur, longer legs, and large feet, which are adapted for walking in deep snow.
Bobcats are the most common wild cat found in Minnesota. Around the year 2000, the population was estimated at approximately 1,700 animals. Over the following eight years, the population increased and eventually stabilized at about 5,200 animals during the spring population estimate. This increase may be linked to the growth of the deer population during the same time period (Edson, 2014).
Bobcat, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Public Domain
Bobcats are generalists, meaning they can adapt to various habitats and prey on a wide range of species. Their diet includes turkeys, mice, squirrels, birds, and hares or rabbits. However, when available, their staple food sources include deer fawns, adult deer, and scavenged deer carcasses during winter.
Adult bobcats have brown to gray coats with black and white markings. Compared to lynx, bobcats have shorter ear tufts, legs, and paws. A distinguishing feature of the bobcat is the black band on the top of its tail, whereas the lynx’s tail tip is entirely black. Lynx coats are brown and gray with a grizzled appearance.
Unlike bobcats, lynx are prey specialists, with the vast majority of their diet consisting of snowshoe hares. They also eat mice, voles, and birds. The lynx population in Minnesota is much smaller, with around 100 animals, primarily found in the northeastern boreal forests, where snowshoe hares are most abundant. Because of their reliance on snowshoe hares, lynx populations follow the 10-year boom-and-bust cycle of their primary prey. Lynx have never been abundant in Minnesota or the lower 48 states in general.
Lynx from behind, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Public Domain
The primary threats to lynx include climate change, which may push the species farther north, and disturbances to their forest habitat. These disturbances may be natural (such as wildfires, wind events, and insect infestations) or human-caused (such as timber harvesting). Due to these challenges, lynx are listed as a federally threatened species.
One unique complication is that bobcat and lynx ranges overlap in Minnesota. Since 2002, researchers have collected 19 fur samples from wild cats, three of which were determined to be hybrids—offspring of a female lynx breeding with a male bobcat. Trail camera images and field sightings alone cannot reliably identify hybrids. The biologists who first discovered lynx-bobcat hybridization were examining what they believed to be two lynx carcasses but noticed atypical physical characteristics, prompting further investigation (Schwartz et al.).
Bibliography
Bobcat (Lynx Rufus). (n.d.). Retrieved from Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/bobcat.html
Canada Lynx. (n.d.). Retrieved from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: https://www.fws.gov/species/canada-lynx-lynx-canadensis
Canada Lynx- Lynx candadensis. (n.d.). Retrieved from Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/forestlegacy/koochiching_washington/canadalynx.html
Edson, J. (2014, January-February). Bountiful Bobcats. Minnesota Conservation Volunteer.
Schwartz et al. (n.d.). Lynx-Bobcat-Hybird. Retrieved from USDA.gov: www.fs.usda.gov