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AMPHIBIANS:
Pac Man Frog
BIRDS:
Chickens
Cockatoo, Sulfer Crested
Chinese Geese
Ducks
Helmeted Guinea Fowl
Macaw, Blue & Yellow
Miniature Macaw
Parrot, Amazon
MAMMALS:
Black Bear
Bobcat
Capuchin, Black & White
Coati Mundis
Cougar
Deer, Fallow
Ferrets
Goat (Pygmy)
Hedgehog
Lemur, Ringtailed
Leopard, black
Liger
Lion (African)
Lion (Barbary)
Macaque, Java
Macaque, Snow
Marmoset
Pig
Sheep
Tiger (Bengal)
Tiger (Siberian)
Vervet
Wolves
Zebra
REPTILES:
Alligator
Anaconda
Bearded Dragon
Boa, Columbian
California King Snake
Corn Snake
Iguana
Lizard, African Plated
Python, Burmese
Python, Reticulated
Python, Royal
Skink, Blue Tongue
Tortoise, Spurred
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| Bobcat
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Shoulder
height: 19-22" (45-58 cm); weight: 12-26 pounds (4-15 kgs). Often
confused with lynx, but with these differences: the bobcat has a longer
tail with a black bar on the upper side fringed with white hairs;
it also has shorter and more slender legs with small, less thickly
furred paws and ear tufts less visible. Usual color is a shade of
buff or brown spotted with dark brown and black. Buff bobcats are
common in desert country; those from forests are darker. Females have
4 nipples
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| GEOGRAPHICAL
RANGE AND HABITAT: |
Southern
Canada, the entire United States (except the midwestern corn belt)
and southward into Mexico. Prefers brushy woodlands but occurs sparingly
from high mountains to desert. Common in California chaparral communities.
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| DIET: |
| Diet
varied but strictly carnivorous: rabbits, squirrels, mice, gophers,
wood rats, chipmunks, as well as the eggs of ground-nesting birds
and occasionally a lamb or young deer
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| LIFE
CYCLE/SOCIAL STRUCTURE: |
Solitary,
except during breeding season. Nocturnal where hunted, but often abroad
during day in protected areas. Territories are not defended but are
vigorously marked (especially by females) with feces, urine, anal
gland secretions, ground scrapes and "scratching post" scrapes.
Females maintain exclusive ranges, but male ranges may overlap and
include those of several females. Females den in a cave, hollow log
or stump. Annual litter of 2 or 3 young. Most kittens are born small,
blind, and helpless in April or May after a gestation period of 60-70
days. The mother defends them, keeping the father away until the kittens
are weaned at about two months. (Other large carnivores may also prey
on young bobcats.) The male may then reappear to help the female collect
food. (Doubtful.) Litter disbands in about six to nine months. Life
span in wild 12+ years, in captivity up to 30 years.
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| SPECIAL
ADAPTATIONS: |
| Expert
climbers and swimmers. Excellent hunters, having keen eyesight,
but short-winded and unable to sustain an extended chase. The decorative-looking
hairs on the ear tips serve as antennae, increasing the animal's
ability to hear the slightest sound. If these tufts are removed,
hearing declines. Bobcats have prominent ear spots which play an
important part in aggressive posturing, possibly serving as eye
mimics to give an impression of a wide and formidable head.
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| INTERPRETIVE
INFORMATION: |
| The
bobcat probably gets its name from the short tail and its lolloping
gait. It is estimated that there is about one animal for every 1
to 2 square miles of chaparral, but they are rarely seen because
of their remarkable protective coloration
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| STATUS
IN WILD: |
| Not
protected as a fur bearer in California or most other states. Although
there is no evidence that trapping has endangered the overall population,
the risk to this handsome cat is increasing, due to demands of the
fur trade. The fur is not of best quality, but it is much sought
by trappers when women's fashions provide high prices, as for example
in the late 1970s when a single pelt could fetch $145 and the annual
take was about 92,000 animals.
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| Special
thanks to the Oakland Zoo website where most of this data was obtained.
Please visit them at http://www.oaklandzoo.org |
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