The bobcat is a generalist.
In North America, we have two species in the genus Lynx. For some reason, most people do not realize that the bobcat is actually a species of lynx, and the Canada lynx is not the same species as the Eurasian (“Siberian”) lynx. However, there are actually four species of lynx, and the bobcat and Canada lynx make up the North American representatives of this genus.
The bobcat’s ancestors were very similar to the Eurasian lynx, and it is believed to have entered North America as early as 2.6 million years ago. The bobcat’s ancestors came to North America when the ice sheets receded. They then returned, cutting off the ancestral bobcats from Eurasia.
It is thought that bobcat became smaller in size because of competition from other large carnivores that lived in North America at the time. Most bobcats are are under 30 pounds in weight, although a few exceptional individuals can exceed 40 pounds.
As the Pleistocene ice sheets receded once again, another wave of lynx-type cats entered North America from Eurasia. These became rather specialized to hunt snowshoe hares. This species became the Canada lynx.
On average, it weighs more than a bobcat, but the biggest bobcats are actually larger than the Canada lynx. Bobcats are also much more aggressive than Canada lynx are, so where their ranges overlap, the bobcat usually has the upper hand.
The Canada lynx’s range in the US has been greatly reduced. Canada lynx have had a very hard time recolonizing their former range in part because of territorial issues with the bobcat. The fact that snowshoe hares, its main prey species, are very cyclical in their population sizes means that Canada lynx numbers are always limited to snowshoe hare cycles. That certainly does prevent it from returning to its former range.
The fortune of the Canada lynx is tied to the snowshoe hare.
To make matters worse, bobcats and Canada lynx can hybridize. Hybrid specimens have been found in New Brunswick, Maine, and Minnesota.
The bobcat and Canada lynx are good examples of two different strategies for survival.
The bobcat evolved as a generalist. It eats lots of different prey species. If the winter weakens the deer and the snow fall is too heavy, the bobcat will try to make a meal out of them.
The Canada lynx has hitched its wagon to the snowshoe hare’s star. Things were good for the Canada lynx, for it could adapt to the wild cycles in snowshoe hare populations. It was bust and boom for the hares, and boom and bust for the Canada lynx.
Canada lynx then suffered from overtrapping by humans. It couldn’t handle that sort of pressure. As a result, Canada lynx are on the Endanger Species List in the United States.
So in this tale of two kitties, the generalist’s wager paid off, while the specialist’s wager has not paid off so well.
Wow, thanks for posting this. In a bizarre bit of synchronicity, I’m about to write an article for the next Animals & Men dealing with very similar topics… It’s on the so-called “Indian Devil”, which was a kind of wildcat that inhabited Pennsylvania and unlike most, one which there’s actually a fairly good picture of (as good as a picture from ca. 1890 could be). It seems to have been a long-tailed bobcat.
Now, that’s interesting.
The Canada lynx has a name that is also associated with the Devil.
The French in Canada called it the “loup-cervier.” (The “deer-like wolf,” is the best translation I can come up with.)
When the English showed up in Canada, they thought they were calling the animal “lucifer.” And even today, the name still exists in parts of Canada for the Canada lynx.
I’m very interested in seeing what you’ve found.
Check this out: http://books.google.com/books?id=Hg9mIvtdxm8C&lpg=PA132&ots=lG3c-NcSyZ&dq=farley%20mowat%20loup%20cervier&pg=PA132#v=onepage&q=&f=false