The bobcat (Lynx rufus), is the smallest of the four lynx species. Also known as the red lynx, it is native to North America with a range that stretches from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Mexico.
Bobcats can live to be 13-15 years old in the wild. A long-legged cat with large paws, a rather short body, and tufted ears, bobcats generally weigh between 15 and 30 pounds. Males are larger than the females. Their body length is 20 to 50 inches. Nocturnal and predominantly solitary, they are stealthy hunters. They can leap as far as 12 feet to catch prey and have been known to take down much larger animals, such as young deer.
Bobcats breed from February to March and the female gives birth to a litter of one to six kittens after about two months. The kittens are born blind and helpless and they stay with their mother until they are about eight months old. During this time the mother teaches her young how to hunt and survive in the wild.
In Native American symbolism, the bobcat represents: clear vision in dark places, vigilance, patience and the ability to see through masks.