Canadian Lynx vs Bobcat - What's the Difference? Quiz

Answer: True

Yes, they can interbreed because they belong to the same genus. A hybrid kitten is known as a 'blynx', 'bobolynx', or 'lynx cat'. They can and do occur naturally in the wild. These kittens show a mix of both parents in their appearance and likely in behaviour but, because of a lack of empirical observation, their behaviour is not known for sure.

It is possible that blynx hybrids may exhibit either intermediate or new behaviours.

Answer: neither

Neither species can produce offspring, fertile or not, with domestic cats. Although lynx, bobcats, and domestic cats are all felines, their genetics are different as they belong to different genera, rendering their reproductive systems incompatible. There are some domestic cats that do look similar to bobcats, but that is due to breeders choosing and breeding domestic cats that look similar to their wild counterparts.

Answer: lynx

The lynx is generally larger than the bobcat. The latter weighs between 15 and 30 lbs (7 to 14kg) while the lynx is usually between 18 and 40 lbs (8 to 18 kg). The lynx has a shorter tail with a solid black tip, while the bobcat has a longer tail with a black tip and a white underside.

The lynx has much larger feet than the bobcat, with thick fur underneath which provides their feet with both traction and warmth.

Answer: both the lynx and bobcat

Both the lynx and bobcat can produce all of these sounds as well as making a barking noise. Although they are different species, their vocalizations are virtually identical, making them very difficult to distinguish from one another. They can make similar sounds to domestic cats, however the latter can trill whereas neither the lynx nor bobcat can.

Answer: hind legs

The lynx has longer legs overall than the bobcat. The lynx has hind legs which are noticeably longer than the front legs, making the hips higher than the shoulders. The bobcat's hind legs are only slightly longer than the front legs, making the bobcat's back straighter than that of the lynx. Additionally, the lynx has longer hind feet than the bobcat.

These adaptations make each species perfectly suited for their environments.

Answer: snowshoe hare

The lynx is a specialist hunter, its primary source of food being the snowshoe hare which makes up approximately 75% of the its diet, making the population of the lynx closely linked to that of the snowshoe hare. In fact the lynx's innate hunting strategy (stalking and powerful strikes), is specifically adapted for snowshoe hares.

The lynx population shows a boom and bust cycle which mirrors the fluctuations in snowshoe hare populations. During a bust cycle, the lynx must hunt less preferred prey such as moose or caribou calves, ptarmigan, voles, grouse, squirrels, and mice. This can cause the lynx to starve as they have to choose prey that is not as desirable.

Answer: legumes

Bobcats are generalist, opportunistic hunters with a wide variety of prey. A bobcat's typical hunting strategy involves waiting, sometimes for hours, to ambush prey, or stalking and flushing, using short, powerful bursts of speed to catch their prey.

While they prefer rabbits and hares, they are known to consume mice, squirrels, birds, insects, small deer, dogs, minks, raccoons, cats, lambs, skunks, carrion, small pigs, and other small livestock. In fact, as generalist predators, bobcats will hunt anything that is small enough and made of meat.

Answer: needing a lot of parental care

Altricial species are born in a very immature state and are totally dependent on their parents for food, protection, and warmth in order to grow and survive. The kittens of both species are born blind and deaf. Bobcat kittens open their eyes somewhere between 3 and 9 days while lynx kittens open between theirs between 10 and 17 days.

When their eyes do open, they are usually bright blue in colour as there is no melanin in the iris. The young of both are also born deaf as their ear canals are closed.

Their ears open somewhere between 10 and 14 days.

Answer: they both do

Both species have black ear tufts. The main difference, and a way of distinguishing the two species, is the length of the tufts. The lynx has much longer ear tufts, up to 2.5 cm (1 inch) in length. Bobcat's tufts are shorter and stubbier than those of the lynx. The function of the lynx's ear tufts is believed to be sensory, perhaps detecting changes in the wind or amplifying their incredible hearing by diverting sound into the ear canals. The tufts might also be a communication device, making their ear movements more recognizable to other lynx.

The function of bobcat ear tufts are not fully understood but may play a camouflage or communication role.

Answer: martens

Both lynx and bobcats face predation from cougars, wolves and eagles as well as coyotes, wolverines, other birds of prey, and humans. Young bobcats are especially vulnerable to owls, eagles, foxes, and adult male bobcats. Bobcats are also vulnerable to fatal injuries caused by their prey.

Lynx are vulnerable to wolverines and occasionally bears, particularly if resources are scarce. Other risks to bobcats and lynx include habitat loss, toxins, vehicle accidents, poisons, diseases, hunting, and parasites.