Written by Brian Welch.

The Mexican bobcat (Lynx rufus escuinapae) is the southernmost subspecies of bobcat and is currently the only bobcat subspecies classified as endangered by the Endangered Species Act. It inhabits the coniferous and boreal mixed forests, hardwood forests, deserts, swamplands and scrublands of Central Mexico. Its diet is comprised of a wide variety of small to medium-sized mammals and rodents, including primarily eastern cotton-tailed rabbits, white-tailed deer, and white-throated wood rats (Soria & Gonzalez 2005). Weighing only 13 to 30 pounds on average and standing only 53 centimeters high, the Mexican bobcat is relatively small in size compared to other bobcat subspecies (Hansen 2007). The Mexican bobcat’s coat can vary from light gray to red-brown and is always spotted. These animals are solitary hunters and the territories of males and of females rarely overlap. The only time that males and females come together is during the mating season (Lariviere & Walton 1997).

The density of Mexican bobcats in a particular habitat is dependent upon the diversity, abundance, and stability of prey populations present (Soria & Gonzalez 2005, Hansen 2007). Similarly, as prey abundance decreases and anthropogenic activities increase (e.g., human population growth and overgrazing), the home range of the Mexican bobcat increases, making it more sparsely populated (Litvaitis et. al. 1986, Gonzalez et. al. 1998). Another threat to the Mexican bobcat is the harvesting and trading of its fur. When the Mexican bobcat was classified as endangered in the 1970s, demand for its fur rose and more bobcats were killed. Although the demand for bobcat fur has declined in recent years as people have become more aware of the inhumane trapping methods that are occurring to obtain the fur, this bobcat is still considered endangered and its habitat is very vulnerable to human interactions.



Want to Learn More?

Soria, L. S., Gonzalez C. A. 2005. Abundance and food habits of cougars and bobcats in the Sierra San Luis, Sonora, Mexico. US Forest Service Proc. RMRS-P-36:416-420.

Hansen, K. 2007. Bobcat: master of survival. Oxford University Press, New York, New York.

Litvaitis, J. A., J. A. Sherburne, and J. A. Bissonette. 1986. Bobcat habitat use and home range size in relation to prey density. The Journal of Wildlife Management 50:110-117.

Gonzalez, C. A., A. Gonzalez-Romero, and J. W. Laundre. 1998. Range extension of the bobcat (lynx rufus) in Jalisco, Mexico. The Southwestern Naturalist 43:103-105.

Lariviere S. and L. R. Walton. 1997. Lynx rufus. Mammalian Species 563:1-8.

Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World

Freshwater Ecoregions of the World

Marine Ecoregions of the World







This page was created from an environmental education writing project generated in the Fall 2009 Bio245 Conservation Biology class. Content does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Gustavus Adolphus College.

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