Bobcat

Bonhoeffer Botanical Gardens has its own resident bobcat.  It is early morning, early evening nocturnal and has a large range, most likely 3 square miles.  Most noticeable is its huge head and small paws (as compared to the Canadian Lynx).  Without its contribution in the food chain, we’d have very few flowers saved from the native rabbit population.  “Ubiquitous” is the adjective to describe this small “wild cat.”  Its scientific name is Lynx rufus (named for a university professor) whose school, Ohio University, to this day has Rufus the Bobcat as its mascot.  Estimates suggest there are 2 millions of these “wildcats” roaming the United States today.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C7mxneItvp5/
https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/lynx-rufus
https://www.burkemuseum.org/collections-and-research/biology/mammalogy/mamwash/carnivora.php#Bobcat
https://a-z-animals.com/blog/bobcats-in-washington-state/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobcat
http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/maps/wa/mammals/WA_bobcat.html
https://www.washington.edu/news/2023/05/18/mesopredators/
https://www.nwtrek.org/new-bobcat-in-town/
https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/00608/wdfw00608.pdf

Lynx rufus is found:

only in the Cascadia Floristic Region
only in the Rocky Mountain Floristic Region (of which Cascadia is a part)
throughout North America

Comments, content, questions appreciated; email bb@plc215.org

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