Wildlife of Henry W. Coe State Park
Beechey Ground Squirrel · Black-tailed Jackrabbit · Bobcat · Coyote · Mountain Lion · Mule Deer · Raccoon · Striped Skunk · Valley Pocket Gopher · Wild Pig
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
Cat in the grass.
Photograph copyright Ó by Rosemary Rideout.
Used with permission.
On log, face at left.
This cat was crouched on a fallen log opposite Bass Pond near Manzanita Point. I was walking along the road at dusk, and was surprised that it did not run away, though keeping a sharp eye on me. I happened to have the camera in my pack, but so as not to alarm it, I turned away and pulled out the camera, and avoided looking directly at the dear kitty. I snapped a couple of shots, stepping closer to it at an oblique angle, rather than directly toward Bob. Since this was successful, I tried to get even closer, again at an oblique angle, but once I stepped off the road into the grass, I crossed a boundary and it ran away.
Unfortunately, I did not have a telephoto lens, so this is a cropped enlargement.
August 4, 1994, ca. 7:10 pm.
Bobcat walking away from the camera
on the trail to Yerba Buena Camp, near
the visitor center. You can see the short
"bobbed" tail, which can be surprisingly
long (up to nine inches, I'd guess).
February 13, 1993, ca. 4:25 pm.
Some folks confuse bobcats with mountain lions, possibly because the latter
are called by many names (cougars, panthers, pumas, for example). Adult bobcats
range in size from that of a rather overgrown housecat to that of a medium-sized
dog. While any wild animal is potentially dangerous when approached or molested,
as a general rule it is safe to say that bobcats do not attack people. (On rare, news-making
occasions, mountain lions do, though they have never done so at Coe Park.)
Bobcats are also confused with lynx (Lynx canadensis), which live in the northern states and
Canada and which also have a stubby tail, but much larger paws.
Bobcats eat ground squirrels, rabbits, jackrabbits, gophers, mice, quail, and other small
mammals. In some areas of the continent, especially farther north, bobcats have been known
to kill deer.
They are not as frequently seen as coyotes, but sightings are not rare. During my time at Coe,
I probably saw about three or four per year. One bobcat was spending a lot of time around
Coe Headquarters (probably for the easy pickings of less wary ground squirrels) and letting
itself be seen even on days when there were many park visitors present.
Henry W. Coe State Park, California
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Wildlife of Henry Coe State Park