View the third video in our Engagement Through Film Series, “The Bobcat, A Master of Survival,” for a glimpse into the life of an Eco-hero whose superpower is invisibility in plain sight. Did you know bobcats are endemic to North America?
El Lince, Maestro de la Supervivencia (Versión en Español).
The bobcat, sometimes called wildcat, is often confused with a lynx. The lynx is larger and better adapted for cold climates and deep snow, whereas the bobcat is the most widely distributed cat in North America. They can be found in many different habitats, from forests to deserts, and they sometimes even appear in urban environments.
Like all felids, bobcats are entirely carnivorous, preying primarily on small mammals such as rabbits, prairie dogs, mice, and squirrels. Despite their tendency to hunt smaller prey, these versatile cats are skilled and powerful enough to take down small deer and pronghorn antelope. Bobcats are silent ambush predators that pounce and kill prey with one bite. These agile cats are known to leap up to ten feet in the air.
In most of the bobcat’s range in Wyoming, it is considered a mesopredator or mid-ranking predator within the food web. They exert what is known as “top-down control” of ecosystems. Without bobcats, animals lower in the food chain rapidly increase in population size, resulting in over-exploitation of plant communities, disease risk, and ecosystem imbalance. Bobcats play a critical role in maintaining the health of our ecosystems.
Unfortunately, bobcats are killed for their soft, spotted fur, which is sold in international wildlife and fashion markets. Despite unknown bobcat population numbers, it’s legal to trap, snare, and hunt bobcats without limit in Wyoming. Please help us spread the word about the importance of these master hunters. For more information about Wyoming bobcats and ways you can help, visit our website at wyominguntrapped.org.
Let us know how we’re doing by taking our two-minute survey!
Wyoming Untrapped promotes trapping reform through education and advocacy for Wyoming’s people, pets, and wildlife. Join our cause and sign up for our newsletter today!
Exceptional partners give wings to great ideas! This project was funded (or funded in part) by the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole and Lush Cosmetics: Charity Pot.
Wyoming Untrapped is hiring! Visit our careers page to view current openings.
PAID FOR BY WYOMING UNTRAPPED
This article is a promoted post. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the organization that paid for the article, and do not necessarily reflect the views, thoughts or opinions of Cap City News, its employees or its publisher. Please fill out this form if you would like to speak to our sales department about advertising opportunities on Cap City News.
