Lynx vs Bobcat
Although there are only four species of the genus, Lynx, the differences among them would be interesting to know, as the biodiversity does not stop at the genus or species level, but there are many individual differences in the very closely related family members of one house. Therefore, it would be important to notice the differences between the largest and the smallest among species of the Lynx genus.
Lynx
Lynx, Lynx lynx, is a wildcat ranging in Europe, Russia, and Northern Asia. The common name, Eurasian lynx, relates with its natural range. It has a medium sized body that measures around 80 – 130 centimetres of length and 18 – 30 kilograms of body weight. Lynx has a short tail and characteristic tufts of black hair on the tip of the ears. Their long legs and large padded paws are great adaptations to walk on the snow without slipping. Lynxes have long whiskers and a brown to beige colour coat of fur, which has dark brown spots. The fur colour shades towards whiter at the belly, chest, and inner side of the legs. They are often solitary animals, and only interact with others during mating season. They usually mate around late winter, and their gestation lasts for about 70 days. The usual litter size varies around two to four kittens once a year. They reach the sexual maturity around two years of age and live about 13 years in wild but 25 years in captivity.
Bobcat
Bobcat, Lynx rufus, is also a wildcat ranging in North American swamps, desert fringes, and forests. They are the smallest among all Lynx species with a weight ranging between seven and eleven kilograms. Bobcats have a grey to brown coloured coat of fur. There are black bars on the fore limbs, and the stubby tail ends with a black tip. Their coat is lighter or more towards grey in the dry areas, whereas it tends to be darker towards the colder and forested areas. Additionally, the black spots all over the body along with the coat colour are useful in camouflaging. In bobcats, there is only a little amount of hair under the neck and face comparatively to other small wildcats. The ear has short and black tufts in bobcats. They are solitary carnivores feeding on some selected prey species. Certain studies have demonstrated a population of bobcats decline caused by their specialized feeding habits. These territorial wild cats prefer solitary lives and live about six to eight years in average.
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What is the difference between Lynx and Bobcat? • Lynx is larger and heavier compared to bobcat. In fact, lynx is the largest of the Lynx genus, while bobcat is the smallest. • The ear tufts are longer in lynx, but shorter in bobcat. • Lynx has puffed, longer fur around the face compared to bobcat. • Lynx has longer legs and wider paws compared to bobcat. • The coat colour of the lynx is more toward grey and no significant patterning, while coat colour of the bobcat is brown to grey and the pattern is prominent. • Lynx ranges in Europe, Russian, and northern Asia but bobcat range in North America. • Lynx prefer wooded habitats and the bobcat prefer any type of habitat. • Bobcats are more aggressive than lynxes. • Bobcat has a specialized food habit with a limited number of prey species; on the other hand, lynx could feed on many prey species.
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