NATIONAL BOBCAT DAY!

National Bobcat Day is October 6th and we would be remiss if we did not tell you fun facts about bobcats that you may not have known! So without further ado, let’s play a game of Did You Know?! 

DID YOU KNOW:

• Bobcats have white mouths, white spots on the backs of their ears, and white tails to help them communicate with one another! Just like when you’re at a party and you can tell who is having a good time or not based on their body language, bobcats communicate from a distance as well using their smile and if their tail and ears are pointed up or laid flat! Long-distance communication can let other bobcats know from a safe distance how another bobcat is feeling. 

  • Bonus fact: the spots on the back of the ears are also known as follow me marks and help little bobcats following their mothers to be able to see the spots easily as they wade through dense underbrush. 

• Bobcats can jump as high as TWELVE feet! That’s like leaping as high as two NBA basketball players stacked on top of one another. 
  

  

• Bobcats are excellent mothers! Bobkittens will stay with their mothers for over a year and up to two years! During their time together, bobcat moms will teach their babies how to hunt, hide, and protect themselves. 

By Garst, Warren, 1922-2016, photographer - This file was contributed to Wikimedia Commons by Colorado State University Libraries as part of a cooperation project. The donation was facilitated by the Digital Public Library of America.Record in source catalogDPLA identifier: 56a48f19c80a1c574e53f79ea35e21b4, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=116350387

• Male and female bobcats have different territory sizes! Females may have a range of about 10 square miles, but males can have up to 30 square miles! This probably has to do with the females often having young with them so they can’t travel as far as easily and males needing to travel farther to find mates!

• Bobcats are ONLY FOUND in North America! 

• Oatland Island Wildlife Center is home to two bobcats - Bo and Odie, who were both born in 2010 and arrived in 2011 from Carolina Wildlife Center. They are brothers who were born under a porch and could not be reunited with their mother. Thankfully, they were rescued and live happy and healthy lives here at Oatland Island Wildlife Center!

Come see Bo and Odie looking cute at Oatland Island Wildlife Center! See you on the trails!