Talk:Bobcat

Lynx in mythology?
Does the stuff about the lynx really belong here? Certainly the bobcat is a member of the genus Lynx, but the Native American peoples did not use the modern classification system, and the bobcat is not the same animal that the common name "lynx" belongs to. If this isn't a slip-up from a writer who doesn't know their animals, wouldn't that mean that the lynx in mythology details belongs under the appropriate lynx species, not on the bobcat's page? 97.104.210.67 (talk) 20:28, 8 March 2010 (UTC)


 * Seeing as this is an established article and currently a featured article would lead me to say yes unequivocally. The line prior to your concern is cited. Additionally many editors like myself constantly review this article and do not let extraneous information creep into it. We have to assume good faith and be courteous in our edits and what we say about other editors.--Morenooso (talk) 20:45, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

Bobcat Range
The article states that they are not present in Pennsylvania. However the following 2010 article in a central PA newspaper would seem to indicate otherwise (with photographic evidence).

http://www.centredaily.com/2010/06/07/2020367/man-gets-unexpected-visit.html


 * Pennsylvania not only has bobcats, it has bobcat hunting season (Jan. 15 - Feb 5). Looks like someone didn't check their facts.
 * http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=621908&mode=2
 * http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=576240&mode=2
 * www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/document/706616/bobcat_pdf‎
 * Marmocet (talk) 09:54, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

I also was in a scout camp as a child where we had a bobcat run through our camp up in the Poconos ca. 1973. Thoughts???Kgilbert78 (talk) 15:13, 7 June 2010 (UTC)


 * Yes, they exist throughout the Keystone State, and further east into New Jersey as well. You are correct.  98.221.120.104 (talk) 07:59, 18 June 2011 (UTC)

The reference used for the range map has been updated to show a wider geographic range than the map in the article. http://maps.iucnredlist.org/map.html?id=12521 The map in the article should be updated. I live in NW Iowa and they are now becoming more and more common. 66.43.202.141 (talk) 15:36, 2 June 2017 (UTC)

Another update and more evidence of a potentially strong bobcat population in Pennsylvania, including a photograph. A bobcat was captured on a touring boat in Pittsburgh today, March 18, 2018.

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2018/03/18/Animal-control-cat-Gateway-Clipper-fleet-Empress/stories/201803180146

Adding this fact would improve the article and let readers know that it's being kept current. Speaks to the confidence a reader can have in the source. Deckerjm (talk)

It appears that range map has had a number of issues, I have a new one. According to the map bobcats are absent from the DC area, but that's not true. They are found in at least in the Northern Virginia suburbs of DC, although probably not in the city itself. 2601:140:9101:1840:9C50:FBFD:3AD3:673B (talk) 14:49, 3 November 2019 (UTC)
 * https://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/information/bobcat/
 * https://www.fox5dc.com/news/bobcat-captured-on-video-in-arlington-neighborhood

Midwest
I decided to be bold and change the picture for the bobcat range, as it showed them as not being present in most of the American Midwest. For instance it showed them as being completely absent in Illinois and most of Missouri and Indiana. While it is true that their population had been significantly reduced in those areas, and they have even been classified as endangered in some states, their presence has remained, and today they are increasingly common. Here are just a few sources which document bobcats in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri:

http://www.metroparks.org/GetOutside/BobcatsAreBack.aspx

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3380.htm

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/indiana/misc/art24800.html

http://dnr.state.il.us/ORC/Wildlife/virtual_news/releases/bobcat_comeback.htm

http://mdc.mo.gov/nathis/mammals/bobcat/

Missouri even has a hunting season for bobcats: http://www.imbmonsterbucks.com/predator.htm

-Helvetica (talk) 13:13, 21 June 2010 (UTC)

black bobcats
I've seen photos somewhere of black bobcats, and thought this melanistic phase might interest some people. What are the rules for using photos from the web if they are not marked copyrighted (not from a book etc.)? --Paddling bear (talk) 04:37, 1 October 2010 (UTC)
 * Check here. Zoo  Pro  11:34, 1 October 2010 (UTC)

Paragraph in 'Distribution and habitat' about Boston Heights sighting
I would like to remove the paragraph in the 'Distribution and habitat' section about the possible sighting in Boston Heights. It doesn't seem to belong, because (a) it is an account of a single possible sighting, and (b) it does not contradict any of the summary information in the rest of the section. Please let me know if anyone objects to its removal.

ScottJasonYoung (talk) 18:28, 21 November 2010 (UTC)

tyry —Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.227.70.131 (talk) 12:38, 22 March 2011 (UTC)

Size matters?
Kind of shocked the article does not mention how big a bobcat gets. (forgive me if I'm misusing Talk. I'm trying to learn it.) Certainly that's the first thing I want to know when contemplating attacks. But it's also important for understanding diet, predator prey relationships.... Grumpystiltskin (talk) 07:57, 3 April 2018 (UTC)

Attacks on Humans
I added a section on bobcat dangers and it was immediately deleted in its entirety. That seems a little harsh, doesn't it? Why not help by re-editing it so the content is preserved? These articles given are all sourced as best as possible and all of them contain only snippets, certainly not enough to trigger a copyright violation. Please explain. All of that is verifiable, so why did the editor claim is was unsourced? I'm at a loss. Could somebody suggest another way to convey the information? Why didnt' the editor just leave the first sentence in place without deleting the entire section? This could be added to "properly" by those who know how to do it better than me. Suggestions? CharleBernardo (talk) 21:46, 30 September 2011 (UTC)


 * Charlie - As the deleting editor noted in his edit summary, your additions are "probable copyvio," which in essence means you cannot simply copy stuff off the Internet and dump it into a Wiki article. Please read Copyright_violations for a complete description of why this is not permitted, and for tips on how to get the content in without violating this policy.  There are legal ramifications to consider.  Thanks for your interest in the Bobcat article, and good luck.  --Seduisant (talk) 21:55, 30 September 2011 (UTC)


 * Hi Charlie, From wp:NFC: "Wikipedia pages may, in accordance with the guideline, use brief verbatim textual excerpts from copyrighted media, properly attributed or cited to its original source or author, and specifically indicated as direct quotations via quotation marks, ... or a similar method." This content seems to have been copy-pasted directly from a source, which you can't do. And none of this information was properly attributed or cited. You may have put in web sites or newspaper names, but these are not proper citations. For information on citations/sources see wp:V, wp:RS, wp:CITE. If I clicked on the citation link, I should be able to go directly to the web page and see that information. News cites should include the name of the newspaper, date of publication, author's name, title of article, city of publication and page number if possible. Mentioning that it is not rare to find news reports of bobcats attacking humans or pets should also be properly cited since it is a claim that could be challenged or questioned. Feel free to re-add this information, but make sure there is no copyvio and that everything is properly cited. Thanks. As with all encyclopedias, there are important guidelines (yes, and rules) to remember. Cheers.  BC  talk to me  22:35, 30 September 2011 (UTC)

Thank you for the feedback Seduisant and Brian Crawford. Now are you suggesting that a "Bobcat Attacks" section is appropriate if the citations to the articles are given as footnotes? This will take a lot of work, but I can imagine already that it will be immediately deleted -- I'll be told the sources are not credible, not scientific, not peer-reviewed, the claims are "controversial" and so on and so forth. Bobcats obviously do attack humans - I found all those news articles via google search. But I'm not going to waste several hours adding content that will just get deleted. Obviously if editors were just concerned about the proper format and lack of links, they could have deleted the wording from the articles and left the citations with hyperlinks. I though that was the "wiki" concept - people working together to make the articles more useful. Anyhow, the question of to what extent bobcats are a danger to humans is a question that many people have - I did. That's why I did the google search. After finding the results, I thought to convey that with others. Now I'll just leave it with this - it takes seconds to delete a bunch of work that somebody else took hours to do. I have provided the articles and suggest a "Are Bobcats Dangerous?" section - if there is anybody who wishes to make the section in the proper wiki fashion, then please do so. Thank you. CharleBernardo (talk) 17:49, 3 October 2011 (UTC)


 * Charlie, perhaps a section with the heading: "Relationship with humans" or something similar, which can include the info you suggested. Such as section could also include other important, relevant information - not just info dealing with the danger factor. If you found those news articles online, it would be easy to add the citations. I wouldn't even quote any news; summarizing or distilling the key "ingredients" of some of those news items, or common to them all, would probably be all that is needed (cited, of course). The initial startup of the section does not need to be complete; others will no doubt expound on what you added and could add more info such as scientific study or how they affect game species (and hence game availability for hunters), etc. The Conservation section touches into this relationship somewhat, but perhaps could be explained more in this new section. Just some ideas. BC talk to me  19:32, 3 October 2011 (UTC)

Thank you Brian, but your idea is changing the whole concept of a section devoted to addressing human concerns about bobcat dangers into something else entirely. I'm all for conservation in other sections, but that's not really the section I'm proposing. Does this section look feasible: "NUISANCE BOBCATS. It is not uncommon for bobcats to live in urban environments, however they are wild animals and should be enjoyed from a distance [citation to http://www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/discond/pages/rabies.aspx]. Rabid bobcats have been reported to attack humans on numerous occasions. [lengthy list of news articles cited here]. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, although dedicated to preserving wildlife, agrees that bobcats in urban areas that lose their natural fear of humans can pose a danger and should be euthanized. [citation to http://bigcatnews.blogspot.com/2009/01/fwc-position-on-nuisance-bobcats.html]. The FWC recommends the public be educated to prevent creating nuisance bobcats by not approaching the animals too closely, not feeding them, not leaving pet food outside, and by keeping garbage lids securely closed. ." That the proposed content I'd propose, but I'm not going to add it because somebody will delete it and I don't feel like arguing with that somebody. I'll propose it here, and if somebody else can add it correctly, great. If not, that's fine too, I'm not going to lose sleep over an incomplete wikipedia article. CharleBernardo (talk) 02:20, 4 October 2011 (UTC)

Range illustration
I changed it from 'third' to 'second'. The color choices on 'third' did not allow me to see anything; for colorblind (even mildly colorblind like me), 'second' works much better. Ratagonia (talk) 02:41, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

External links modified
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Substantiation needed for status as controller of pests
Moved here from the lead section:

The bobcat is vital for controlling pest populations.

This statement needs to be substantiated in the body of the article with reference to a reliable source – what makes something "vital" and what is a "pest" are subjective and could be disputed. — Coconutporkpie (talk) 23:48, 14 August 2016 (UTC)

Bobcats in Iowa
According to the range illustration, there are no bobcats in Iowa. Although bobcats were endangered in Iowa several decades ago, they are making a comeback. There is even a bobcat hunting season in many southern counties.

Here are some resources for farther reading: http://nwiowaoutdoors.com/2012/01/08/bobcats-have-made-a-strong-comeback-in-iowa/ http://www.iowadnr.gov/About-DNR/DNR-News-Releases/ArticleID/127/Cool-Things-You-Should%C2%A0Know-About-Bobcats-in-Iowa

I will make appropriate edits to the range map. I suspect there are other inaccuracies in the midwestern region of the range map (as has been noted by several other editors), but as I do not have specific knowledge of those areas, I am leaving that alone for right now.

EDIT: I couldn't figure out how to edit or replace the range map. If anyone else is able to, that would be great.

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.29.131.185 (talk) 15:59, 1 September 2016 (UTC)

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Red lynx?
The taxonomic name of the bobcat means "red lynx", and this is also the regular name in many languages. Is it used in English at all, or is it exclusively "bobcat"? CodeCat (talk) 12:53, 5 November 2016 (UTC)


 * It is used in English also: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/red_lynx

Bobcat Sound
Bobcats make seven distinct sound such as purring, hissing, growling, yowling, meowing, screaming, and snarling. They make this sound to either communicate with their mate or kittens, to hunt, or even for defense.

For example, a bobcat will snarl when they are extremely angry or afraid, and meow when they are lonely or hungry. Source: https://wildtravelblog.com/what-does-a-bobcat-sound-like/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by Louisojibr (talk • contribs) 09:07, 10 February 2024 (UTC)

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Semi-protected edit request on 20 February 2018
In the lead, please clarify: ...and a black-tipped, stubby tail, from which it derives its name. -- Although obvious to most, some readers may not be familiar with the term "bobbed" (meaning shortened). Suggest: ...and a black-tipped, stubby "bobbed" tail, from which it derives its name. 2606:A000:4C0C:E200:8DA8:8E53:7ECE:A12F (talk) 20:31, 20 February 2018 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done Eggishorn (talk) (contrib) 14:45, 21 February 2018 (UTC)

Bobcat tails
Florida bobcats have long tails not short ones. We call them Florida long tail bobcats. Please reference the video on wfla.com morning news Feb 11, 2019. Xraventoes (talk) 11:49, 11 February 2019 (UTC)

The first sentence is a bit confusing.
Why are we using family instead of genus? I expected something like: Very simple, right? A detailed taxonomy can be explained in the further part of the article. 85.193.233.31 (talk) 11:15, 23 September 2019 (UTC)
 * The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a North American lynx.

Wildcat
I was very surprised "wildcat" was not mentioned as an alternative name for the bobcat. When I was learning about mammals in California the 1950s, bobcats were commonly known as wildcats. Indeed, the very first definition of wildcat in thefreedictionary.com (American Heritage) is "1. Any of various wild felines of small to medium size, including the bobcat and the caracal."

Photo at Flickr
I received this message : Thoughts? – BhagyaMani (talk) 13:56, 27 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Hi, is it okay if we can replace the infobox image into a better resolution here ? He is willing to change license if its okay to replace. 2001:4455:364:A800:10F4:192F:7D41:B2C (talk) 13:40, 27 January 2022 (UTC)
 * The new one shows the usual tail very well and generally shows more features. —  Jts1882 &#124; talk 14:21, 27 January 2022 (UTC)
 * I requested this as well, but I think the article needs some cleanup and needs to remove other irrelevant images. 2001:4455:364:A800:E5E5:3906:820:3691 (talk) 00:49, 28 January 2022 (UTC)

Pupils
Bobcat: There is a repetition about pupils. -- NGC 54  ( talk |  contribs ) 11:07, 3 March 2022 (UTC)

Spotts and camouflage
Repetition:

Bobcat: „Its spotted patterning acts as camouflage.”

Bobcat: „its spotted coat serves as camouflage.” -- NGC 54  ( talk |  contribs ) 14:07, 5 March 2022 (UTC)

Kittens and predators
"When prey populations are not abundant, fewer kittens are likely to reach adulthood.": Source? -- NGC 54  ( talk |  contribs ) 23:28, 16 March 2022 (UTC)


 * "Kittens may be taken by several predators, including great horned owls, eagles, foxes, and bears, and other adult male bobcats.": The cited source does not confirm. -- NGC 54  ( talk |  contribs ) 23:33, 16 March 2022 (UTC)
 * "Kittens may be taken by several predators, including great horned owls, eagles, foxes, and bears, and other adult male bobcats.": Resolved (diff). -- NGC 54  ( talk |  contribs ) 22:59, 18 March 2022 (UTC)
 * "When prey populations are not abundant, fewer kittens are likely to reach adulthood.": The source for this was apparently added by this edit: 133581113. However, the source was removed without any explicit written reason by this edit: 140722833. Why? It was a mistake? Or the source does not confirm the claims? Does the source should be re-inserted in order to also cover this phrase? -- NGC 54  ( talk |  contribs ) 23:25, 18 March 2022 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion: You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 18:23, 18 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Bobcat-image-MariadB.png

Semi-protected edit request: When template
“While thought to no longer exist in western New York and Pennsylvania, multiple confirmed sightings of bobcats (including dead specimens) have been recently reported in New York's Southern Tier and in central New York, and a bobcat was captured in 2018 on a tourist boat in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.”

(emphasis mine)

79.97.2.84 (talk) 04:57, 11 February 2023 (UTC)