Greetings friends of Timbavati and welcome to Bobcat Week! With our park now open and in full swing, we are happy to have had those of you whom have already visited and we’re looking forward to those of you who are still planning to visit. One denizen of Timbavati Wildlife Park is the Bobcat which is an exclusive native of North America.
I like to refer to bobcats as kind of a mid-sized cat. Your typical house cat will weigh 4-8 pounds (depending on species and diet sometimes more, sometimes less). A large cat like a lion or tiger will easily be in excess of 300 pounds and top out around 500 pounds. A bobcat will weigh between 15 and 30 pounds with the males being larger than the females. You will know if youre looking at a bobcat by the tufts of fur on the cheeks that make the face look wider and the shorter tail with black on the top and white on the underside.
Bobcats are carnivores and will eat rabbits, birds, lizards, rodents and snakes. Their hunting patterns and movements are like most other cats where they lie in wait and pounce when they see an opportunity. I actually have seen a few of the big cats stalk and observe in this manner. No different than your tabby at home will do.
The bobcat also has predators that it has to remain vigilant against due to its relatively diminutive size. Mountain lions, coyotes, foxes, owls, and wolves will all have a go at the bobcat in the wild. For this reason the bobcat will have a new burrow on a daily basis and move from shelter to shelter.
The bobcat is the most abundant wildcat in the United States with estimates of its number to be over a million in North America. A female bobcat raises its young alone and will give birth to a litter of between 1-6 kittens after a gestation period of 50-70 days.
Next time you’re in Timbavati Wildlife Park stop over and spend a few minutes with our bobcats!
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