CSG Species Accounts: Bobcat (Lynx rufus)

Population Status
Global: Category 5(A)
Regional: Category 4
IUCN: Not Listed
In the early 1980s, state wildlife authorities estimated the total US bobcat population to range between 725,000 to 1 million adult animals (Govt. of US 1983a). Bobcats have historically been less abundant in the east-central US, owing to high human population density and intensive, large-scale agriculture (Peterson and Downing 1952). Bobcats are also considered to be generally widespread and healthy in the Canadian (Govt. of Canada 1983) and Mexican (Govt. of US 1992, M. Aranda in litt. 1993) parts of their range, although hunting and trapping may have led to some local depletions (González and Leal 1984, G. Mowat in litt. 1993). L. rufus escuinapae (Allen 1903), the southernmost race found in Mexico, was listed on CITES Appendix I in 1973 for reasons that are not now clear. Craniometric studies have indicated that is is not actually a valid subspecies (Samson 1979), and on these grounds it was downlisted to Appendix II in 1992. The Mexican government has described numbers of bobcat in the country as "adequate" (Govt. of US 1983a, 1992).
Reported bobcat densities range from 1-38 resident adults per 25 km² (summarized in McCord and Cardoza 1982, Anderson 1987; Koehler and Hornocker 1989). The south-eastern US and California coastal regions appear to support the most dense populations, probably due to high environmental productivity. Reduced density is associated with harsher environments, such as south-western deserts and the more northern portions of the bobcat’s range (summarized in Rolley 1987). Mean home range estimates vary from 0.6-326 km² in size (summarized in Anderson 1987), and tend to be larger in the north. For example, Berg (1979) found male ranges averaged 62 km² in Minnesota, whereas male ranges in Alabama averaged 2.6 km² (Miller and Speake 1979). Male home ranges are generally 2-3 times larger than female ranges and overlap those of several females. Male ranges overlap partially with those of other males, while female ranges are more exclusive.