|
The bobcat (''Lynx rufus'') is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae that appeared during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago (AEO).〔(Paleobiology Database, collection 20397 ) Doña Ana County, New Mexico. Authorized and entered by Dr. John Alroy, Macquarie University, April 30, 1994.〕 Containing 12 recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to central Mexico, including most of the continental United States. The bobcat is an adaptable predator that inhabits wooded areas, as well as semidesert, urban edge, forest edges, and swampland environments. It remains in some of its original range, but local populations are vulnerable to extirpation by coyotes and domestic animals. The bobcat is vital for controlling pest populations. With a gray to brown coat, whiskered face, and black-tufted ears, the bobcat resembles the other species of the mid-sized ''Lynx'' genus. It is smaller on average than the Canada lynx, with which it shares parts of its range, but is about twice as large as the domestic cat. It has distinctive black bars on its forelegs and a black-tipped, stubby tail, from which it derives its name. Though the bobcat prefers rabbits and hares, it will hunt anything from insects, chickens, geese and other birds and small rodents to deer. Prey selection depends on location and habitat, season, and abundance. Like most cats, the bobcat is territorial and largely solitary, although with some overlap in home ranges. It uses several methods to mark its territorial boundaries, including claw marks and deposits of urine or feces. The bobcat breeds from winter into spring and has a gestation period of about two months. Although bobcats have been hunted extensively by humans, both for sport and fur, their population has proven resilient though declining in some areas. The elusive predator features in Native American mythology and the folklore of European settlers. ==Taxonomy== There had been debate over whether to classify this species as ''Lynx rufus'' or ''Felis rufus'' as part of a wider issue regarding whether the four species of ''Lynx'' should be given their own genus, or be placed as a subgenus of ''Felis''. The ''Lynx'' genus is now accepted, and the bobcat is listed as ''Lynx rufus'' in modern taxonomic sources. Johnson et al. reported ''Lynx'' shared a clade with the puma, leopard cat (''Prionailurus''), and domestic cat (''Felis'') lineages, dated to 7.15 million years ago (mya); ''Lynx'' diverged first, approximately 3.24 million years ago. The bobcat is believed to have evolved from the Eurasian lynx, which crossed into North America by way of the Bering Land Bridge during the Pleistocene, with progenitors arriving as early as 2.6 million years ago.〔 The first wave moved into the southern portion of North America, which was soon cut off from the north by glaciers. This population evolved into modern bobcats around 20,000 years ago. A second population arrived from Asia and settled in the north, developing into the modern Canada lynx.〔 Hybridization between the bobcat and the Canada lynx may sometimes occur. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bobcat」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|