Bobcats used to range throughout the continental US, and still can be found in most regions although populations are now spotty. They are no longer found in parts of the midwest where heavy farming has removed most of their habitat. In Connecticut most Bobcats live in the state's northwestern corner but there are populations throughout the state.
Bobcats prefer scrub and brushy areas or regions with intermittent forest. They may be found near farmland, in wetlands, and in dry rocky or brushy land. Bobcats are mostly nocturnal in the warm season, but it is not uncommon to see one about in daytime, especially when a mother is hunting for her young kittens in the spring.
In the winter they will be active both in the day and the night. Bobcats are carnivores. They prey on smaller animals such as mice, voles, birds, and squirrels but are more predators of medium-sized prey such as rabbits, hares, woodchucks and raccoons. Deer are hunted only rarely and then usually very young or very weak animals are taken. Knowing that bobcats had been spotted in her area and with my curiosity peaked, I asked the caller for directions to her house so that I could get there quickly when she heard the noises again.
By the time I reached her property, the commotion had stopped. One very cold and nasty night the woman phoned again. I was tempted to ignore it, but curiosity got the better of me and I rushed to the scene of the noise. This time was a success; the loud noises were still going on when I got there about an hour later.
I stayed in the car and turned on my tape recorder; I wanted to check with a biologist who has worked with bobcats to confirm that these were really bobcat sounds. The recording was clear enough and the biologist confirmed that these were indeed the sounds of bobcats mating.
Bobcats Lynx rufus are very solitary animals during the winter months, but in early January or February, adult male bobcats begin searching for females. Females outnumber males because males travel farther and are often killed by trappers. Male bobcats usually mate with more than one female. Fighting between competing males is common during the breeding season, resulting in loud and violent noises.
The fights are furious and fur flies. The noises continue until mating is completed. Males will seek out other females, but the females will not tolerate the males once the infants are born. Most breeding occurs in January or February and goes on into early April. However, pregnant females can be seen in every month of the year. Some females raise two litters a year. Bobcats in captivity can sometimes have three litters in one year. Pregnant females require dens that offer maximum protection.
However, because of our encroachment onto their habitat, you are bound to see them with more frequency. The remainder consists of small rodents such as squirrels, rats and mice. The various calls of the Bobcat sound much like those of the domestic cat. Bobcats are solitary animals, coming together only for courtship and copulation. For instance, they can become noisy when showing signs of aggression , during mating season, when a mother is calling for her kittens, when kittens are shouting for their mama, and in various other situations.
Among the sounds produced by bobcats, we can distinguish familiar meows just like the ones we hear at our housecats , screams, purrs, cries, snarls, hisses, yowls, caterwauls, and so on. Because bobcats are nocturnal animals, their sounds are most often heard at night, which makes them even more frightening. If you thought that domestic cats make strange sounds during mating or when two males are fighting, then you should hear the sounds of a bobcat.
Not only are they very vocal animals, but bobcats make some sounds that can terrify even the bravest of us when echoing in the woods at night. The sounds made by bobcats have been described in many ways, like the sound of a demon, a man shouting, the scream of a woman asking for help, or as a child crying.
On YouTube, we can find numerous videos and creepy audio recordings with the sounds produced by bobcats.
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