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Tika Bobcat (Lynx rufus)
Tika is a female Mountana Blue Bobcat, native to Montana, born in November 2007. She is 100% healthy and is a part of our animal handling program. She has a wonderful personality and loves going out to the schools as a representative of her species.
You will notice her coat is heavily spotted, and not the brownish color of Bobcats from our area. Her coat is a grayish-blue color because in the wild she would need it as camouflage in the colder, snowy climate of Montana.
The Bobcat, although it does not bear the family name, is a distinct species in the Lynx genus. In comparison with the Canadian Lynx the Bobcat is generally smaller and it can be differentiated from the Lynx in a number of ways. The Bobcat has less pronounced ear tufts and cheek ruffs, much smaller feet and shorter hind legs. Its tail is white on the tip, whereas the Lynx has a black tip on its tail. It has a generally more patterned and varied coat coloration. Fur color ranges from light grey, to yellowish brown, buff, brown and reddish brown and markings vary from tabby stripes to heavy spotting. Bobcats are always spotted to some extent, with some individuals patterened only on the undersides, others with spots extending up the sides into the chest and back. Both melanistic and albinistic Bobcats have been reported - melanism has been found only in Florida.
The Bobcat is found in Southern Canada, the US, and parts of Mexico. It hunts both by night and day and feeds mainly on hares and rabbit, but also eats rodents, birds and deer.
Bobcat Statistics:
| Body Length | 40 inches; Tail 5-7 inches |
| Weight | 13.5 to 35 pounds |
| Gestation Period | 62 days |
| Litter Size | 1-6 |
| Life Span | 12-13 years |
| Status | Least Concern |
