8/17/2023 0 Comments Bobcat vs cougar paw prints![]() ![]() ![]() The only area where the Canadian lynx and bobcat coexist is along the U.S.-Canada border.īobcats and Lynxes: Putting the 'Wild' in Wildcat The bobcat tolerates a more varied habitat - from marshes and swampy areas in the southern part of the continent, to desert and scrub in the western regions to mountainous, forested areas in the north. That's because the lynx prefers forested areas since that's where its main source of food, the snowshoe hare, lives. While the three species bearing the family name have the bobcat outnumbered in terms of global spread, the bobcat dominates the continent of North America. states including Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming and Washington. The Canadian lynx lives primarily in Canada and a handful of northern U.S. The Eurasian lynx (the most numerous and widespread of the four species) can be found throughout western Europe and northern Asia, while the Spanish lynx (the rarest of the four) is found only in Spain and Portugal. The fourth member, the most common cat native to North America, is the previously mentioned bobcat. There are four different species belonging to this group - three of which share the family name: the Eurasian lynx, the Spanish (or Iberian) lynx and the Canadian lynx. While bobcats and lynxes are separate species, they do belong to the same genus, the Lynx genus. Previously I had assumed it was only in their stalking mode.Believe it or not, there's a method to the madness. One thing I learned from this, bobcats always step in this manner. ![]() It is a good example how tracks can be decieving. I figured the five toes would throw you since it didn't look to be an overlap. The tracks were Panther and Exmoor, left and right respectively. The prints on the right have heart shaped pads, rather like you might expect on the front foot of a cat. It has five toes and therefore looks as if the animal was putting one paw down on top of the other. The print on the left of second step has no obvious claw marks. It looks as if the animal that went out has smaller paws than the one that came in? Whatever it was, I'd say it wasn't a large animal. One smaller, one larger.maybe your domestic cat and Exmoor? To me, your photo looks like cat tracks, some five-toed where overlaps occur. I suppose in the wild this probably lessens sound and scent trails, and the unpleasant feel of some surfaces. To anyone with experience of cats, it was obvious that a small cat had disliked the feel of the snow, and carefully placed the back pads where the front ones had been. To the layman they might have looked impressive, large five-toed prints. Several months ago a builder from Aberdeenshire claimed to have seen a big cat walk past his work van, and photographed the prints made by the beast in the snow. I already know what they are only because I saw the animals making them.īobcat tracks on left and domestic cat tracks on right On the subject of animal tracks, I would be curious as to the groups analysis of the prints depicted in this attachment. As the mud pushes upward between the pads, the claws are extended much the same as when we hold and press against our domestic cat's paws.ĭetail of bobcat tracks in mud showing claw marks On a soft substrate such as sand or mud occasionally the claws are often seen within the tracks. Whenever these type double-tracks are seen, they are almost assuredly those of a feline. In order to maintain quietness and stealth, the cat steps in the same spot from front to rear. These particular ones are bobcat, but they are typical of the cougar and all lynx species when stalking prey. I photographed these tracks and some others at a small pond near my home. The following might be helpful to anyone interested in indentifying feline tracks. Report from Ben Willis Identifying tracks ![]()
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