Many folks believe that a signature characteristic of Bobcats is a spotted coat. But the truth is that Bobcats come in a wide variety of looks. These wild cats can be vividly spotted or uniformly tawny–and everything in between. Have a look at the photos below…

Variations in Bobcats coat coloration.
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There are a few other important characteristics that are unique to Bobcats. No other wild cat in Texas has this combination of physical attributes…

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Bobcats are very common in the metroplex, but they are rarely seen. These small to medium-sized wild cats are masters of staying out of sight. You either have to be actively looking for one, or get just a little bit lucky to have an encounter.

Bobcats can be hard to see and easy to miss in
the low-light conditions when they are typically most active.

Most mature neighborhoods in Dallas/Fort Worth will have one or more Bobcats living there. Around our homes, Bobcats earn their keep by hunting the squirrels, rabbits, mice, and rats that are so abundant in suburban DFW.

Bobcats are intelligent and adaptable animals. They are experts at using man-made structures to their benefit. These clever felines travel underground using our storm sewer system, and they construct dens under our decks and tool sheds.

A Bobcat traveling the storm sewer system

Bobcats are also able to thrive many other urbanized areas. Airports, business parks, and similar industrial zones all make good homes for Texas Bobcats. It’s a little counter intuitive, but it appears that developed areas can be very good habitat for these versatile cats.

2 Replies to “Coat of Many Colors”

  1. I had a bobcat run across a narrow highway this afternoon and hit my front tire quite hard. A witness saw it tumble and run into the brush. We looked for it, but it was not visible. I was surprised by the large size and the red color of it’s fur. I’m quite sure it died because of the blow it took. Such a beautiful animal, am sad there was no way to avoid what happened. It was 1:00 PM and I never have seen one in the daytime like that. Usually see them early in the morning. Thank you for the excellent photos of the varied color patterns.

  2. I think I saw our neighborhood bobcat this morning. I live in a very established neighborhood with only a tiny bit of forest, so I didn’t expect to see something like this, though we have seen coyotes, armadillos, opossums, and turtles.
    Anyway, I stepped out on the porch this morning about 7:10 am to check the temperature and it moved on the road in front of our house (approximately 30 feet away) or I wouldn’t have seen it. I looked at it wondering whose cat was lose and then I realized I wasn’t looking at a house cat. We have an indoor maine coon and this cat was larger. It was also entirely brown, but it had the cheek and ear tufts and the tail was shorter than expected for that body size and kind of stubby looking. I looked at it and he or she looked at me and then it walked away back into the small wilderness next to our house. I didn’t have my phone so I didn’t get a picture, but it was a very brief encounter and the lighting was still pretty dim. It was still pretty cool.

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