A wild bobcat in Marin County. Photo courtesy of and copyright Trish Carney. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Bobcat & mountain lion tails
- Author: Zara McDonald
- Publication Date: December 13, 2012
- Focus Species: Lynx rufus (Bobcat) , Puma concolor (Mountain Lion)
Question: Why do bobcats have almost no tail when mountain lions have such long tails?
Answer:
Tails are used for balance when climbing trees and for navigating difficult terrain. Since bobcats primarily hunt on the ground and in fields for rodents and hares, they have not evolved with a long tail. In addition, it's an adaption that helps in catching prey in open fields - a twitching long tail may alert the prey, in addition to larger carnivores of the bobcat's presence.
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