WEBVTT - How Did Bobcats Come Back from the Brink?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren vog obam here. If you live in

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<v Speaker 1>the United States, you might have never seen a bobcat

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<v Speaker 1>in the wild, but that doesn't mean they're not there,

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<v Speaker 1>and it doesn't mean there's not a bobcat sighting in

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<v Speaker 1>your future. Bobcat's taxonomical name, Lynx rufus, are doing great,

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<v Speaker 1>thanks for asking. These days, they're pretty common and can

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<v Speaker 1>be found in almost every state in the lower forty eight,

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<v Speaker 1>as well as throughout most of Mexico and parts of Canada.

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<v Speaker 1>They look a bit like a domestic housecat, so much

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<v Speaker 1>so the people have accidentally rescued bobcat kittens from the

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<v Speaker 1>side of the road. Except the adult bobcats grow to

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<v Speaker 1>be as big as a mid sized dog and are

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<v Speaker 1>a far site less friendly. With a sleek, brown spotted coat,

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<v Speaker 1>a short tail, and tufted ears. You would never mistake

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<v Speaker 1>a grown bobcat for a pet, but you might mistake

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<v Speaker 1>it for a Canadian lynx. That's Lynx canadensis in North America.

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<v Speaker 1>The difference between a bobcat and a lynx has a

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<v Speaker 1>bit to do with the size of the feet, the

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<v Speaker 1>color of the coat, and the length of the ear tufts. Links. However,

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<v Speaker 1>live in northern latitudes and high elevations, and bobcats can

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<v Speaker 1>be found almost anywhere deserts, wetlands, forests, you name it. Also,

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<v Speaker 1>bobcats have notoriously assertive personalities. According to the San Diego Zoo,

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<v Speaker 1>they're referred to by zookeepers as the spitfires of the

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<v Speaker 1>animal kingdom for their unwillingness to back down from a

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<v Speaker 1>kill and just general audacity. A full grown bobcat is

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<v Speaker 1>only about thirty three pounds that's fifteen kilos, but is

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<v Speaker 1>able to bring down a two hundred and fifty pound

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<v Speaker 1>deer by itself that's about a hundred and ten kilos.

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<v Speaker 1>Not only are bobcats tenacious, they're also resilient and adaptable

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<v Speaker 1>to land use change. We spoke with John litt Vedis,

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<v Speaker 1>Emeritus Professor in the Department of Natural Resources in the

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<v Speaker 1>Environment at the University of New Hampshire. According to litt

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<v Speaker 1>Vedis's research, bounty records from New Hampshire from the early

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<v Speaker 1>eighteen hundreds to today show that as old growth trees

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<v Speaker 1>were cleared for agriculture and timber replaced in many places,

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<v Speaker 1>with she young forests, bobcat numbers skyrocketed. Their favorite foods, rabbits, deer, grouse,

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<v Speaker 1>and basically anything else that likes to live in a scrubby,

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<v Speaker 1>impenetrable thicket were well supported by a young forest, But

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<v Speaker 1>as the forests aged into old ones that didn't harbor

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<v Speaker 1>as many rabbits, and as coyotes, which compete with bobcats

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<v Speaker 1>were introduced to New Hampshire, and as bobcat firs became

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<v Speaker 1>popular in the mid twentieth century, numbers plummeted. These factors,

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<v Speaker 1>accompanied by some particularly harsh winters in New Hampshire in

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<v Speaker 1>the nineteen seventies and eighties, resulted in the bobcat population

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<v Speaker 1>tanking by the population in this state, where they had

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<v Speaker 1>once flourished, was most likely fewer than a hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>fifty animals. A similar trend could be seen all over

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<v Speaker 1>the United States. But then the states started protecting bobcats

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<v Speaker 1>by putting strict limits on how many could be hunted

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<v Speaker 1>or trapped. With less human intervention, bobcats are doing much

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<v Speaker 1>better Vedas said, bobcat populations are increasing now throughout much

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<v Speaker 1>of their geographic range. I'm amazed at the abilities they

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<v Speaker 1>have to adapt to a demanding and changing environment. Because,

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<v Speaker 1>unlike coyotes and foxes, bobcats are strict carnivores, so their

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<v Speaker 1>diet places substantial challenges to acclimating to suburban and urban life.

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<v Speaker 1>In New Hampshire, bobcat numbers were estimated to be around

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<v Speaker 1>one thousand four and are even higher today. So how

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<v Speaker 1>do they manage maintaining a strict carnivores diet while living

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<v Speaker 1>catches catch can and human centered landscapes. They work smarter,

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<v Speaker 1>not harder, preying on our backyard chickens and other animals

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<v Speaker 1>that do well hanging out around people, Veta said. In

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<v Speaker 1>the Northeast, staying close to a bird feeder during winter

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<v Speaker 1>seems to help bobcats snag unsuspecting squirrels and thus get

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<v Speaker 1>through the toughest time of the year. Of course, cohabiting

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<v Speaker 1>with humans isn't always great for either the bobcat or

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<v Speaker 1>the humans. The cats are more likely to be hit

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<v Speaker 1>by cars or have unpleasant run ins with humans if

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<v Speaker 1>they're lounging around in someone's backyard waiting for a turk

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<v Speaker 1>key or chipmunk to wander through. Should you encounter a bobcat,

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<v Speaker 1>the best advice is to give it as much respect

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<v Speaker 1>and space as possible. Similarly, a small dog or housecat

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<v Speaker 1>might be targeted by a bobcat as a potential meal,

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<v Speaker 1>and domestic cats are susceptible to a tick boorn disease

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<v Speaker 1>called bobcat fever, for which bobcats are the natural host.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, bobcats are doing so well that some

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<v Speaker 1>states like Illinois have passed laws reinstating bobcat hunting and

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<v Speaker 1>trapping season for the first time in forty years. But

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<v Speaker 1>now the question is how do we maintain a good

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<v Speaker 1>relationship with bobcat neighbors. It's tricky, but public education about

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<v Speaker 1>how to safely cohabitate with bobcats will help. Mostly, as

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<v Speaker 1>we said, leave them alone, don't feed them, and keep

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<v Speaker 1>an eye on children and animals if you've spotted one

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<v Speaker 1>in the neighborhood. Also, like any housecat, they'll take the

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<v Speaker 1>hint that they're not welcome if you spray them with water.

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<v Speaker 1>Leveda said, I'm happy they're thriving. For me, they symbolize

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<v Speaker 1>the wild portrait of nature, and I'm glad they're doing well.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by Jessicuin Shields and produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tyler clang. Brain Stuff is a production of iHeart Radios

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<v Speaker 1>How Stuff Works. For more in this and lots of

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<v Speaker 1>other catty topics, visit our home planet has stuff works

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