Bobcats at Briggs
It’s amazing how many different wild animals are seen at Briggs Boardwalk by those who get there at the right time. This bobcat was seen around 8 a.m. in late December by Pat and David Tester who walk the boards every day during season.
This bobcat is grayish in color. I’ve seen a bobcat with reddish fur who was on the walk at 3 p.m. You never know when you will see one or what color its fur might be.
One thing you can count on is that once a cat sees you, it’s off to the races to get space between you and it. Cats usually run to cover, but if they notice you stop, they will stop and stare at you for the longest of times — all cats are reportedly curious animals. That’s what happened to Dave and Pat and that allowed them to get a good picture of this bobcat using a camera with a telephoto lens. Once they get bored staring at you, it’s off to the races again.
Bobcats always seem bigger to me in real life than I expect them to be. Nonetheless, bobcats are much smaller than Florida panthers.
If you can see the tail of the cat, it is easy to tell them apart even at a distance. The bobcat has a bobbed or very short tail while the tail of a panther may be nearly 2/3 the length of its body and head.
Like panthers, bobcats usually hunt at dusk, at night, and in the early morning hours, but are often seen during the day, too. Their primary prey are squirrels, rabbits, rats, opossums, and small raccoons. The primary prey of panthers are white tail deer and wild boar. Bobcats and panthers are important controls for the populations of these animals.
The Conservancy’s von Arx Wildlife Hospital receives injured bobcats from time to time as is shown by this photo taken from Joanna Fitzgerald’s Hospital blog of Feb. 20, 2015.
Wildlife Hospital Bobcat Release: 2010
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