Spot the Difference: Bobcat vs. Canada Lynx

The world is home to dozens of wild cats, including lions, tigers and jaguars. However, just one wild cat lives in Illinois — the bobcat. In many places, though, bobcats can be confused with another wild cat species, the Canada lynx.

A bobcat (left) and a Canada lynx.

Confusion between bobcats and Canada lynx is understandable because they are closely related, both belonging to the Lynx genus of wild cats. They also share many behaviors, and they look similar to the untrained eye.

In many places, geography alone can be enough to distinguish between the two. Bobcats have a much wider range than Canada lynx. The bobcat can be found across much of North America, from southern Canada all the way to southern Mexico. Canada lynx live primarily across Canada but can also be found in Idaho, Montana and Washington. Small populations may also live in New England, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming.

For appearance’s sake

Physically, these two cats share many features, including the two trademark features of the lynx family of cats: bobbed tails and tufts of fur on the tips of their ears. Their bobbed (short) tails are why bobcats are called bobcats.

Bobcats and Canada lynx are also similar in size, but bobcats are slightly smaller. They are the smallest cat in the Lynx family. Bobcats typically weigh between 8 pounds and 33 pounds, while Canada lynx weigh between 10 pounds and 38 pounds.

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Words to know

Distinguishing: A characteristic of something or someone that serves to identify it.

Keen: Highly developed.

Solitary: Done or existing alone.

Stalk: To pursue or approach in a careful manner so as not to be seen or heard.

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The fur of both these cats can vary in color, but bobcats are generally brown or buff colored with dark spots and stripes on some of their fur. Lynx are usually lighter in color, typically a shade of yellowish-brown. Some lynx also have dark spots on their coats, but bobcats generally have more markings on their fur.

Although these cats do look similar, there are a few physical features that can help tell them apart. For starters, the back legs of the Canada lynx are longer than their front legs. This makes them appear stooped. A Canada lynx's paws are also much larger — at least twice as big as a bobcat’s.

Another difference in their paws is the furry soles that the Canada lynx has that the bobcat does not. Those furry paws help the cats with traction as they travel across slippery landscapes.

If you can get a good look, their tails can also be a distinguishing feature. While a Canada lynx's tail is tipped in black, a bobcat's has a white tip. In addition, their tails are barred from the top but mostly white underneath.

Party of one

Both bobcats and Canada lynx are solitary animals, and they are both primarily active at night, when they hunt for prey. Both are carnivores, so keen hunting skills are important.

Bobcats hunt rabbits, rodents, small deer, ground birds and sometimes reptiles. Canada lynx have a similar diet, but their main food source is the snowshoe hare. In some areas where there are a lot of hares, the lynx exclusively eat snowshoe hares. Both cats hunt by quietly stalking their prey and then pouncing on it.

Because they have such a large range, bobcats can live in many different types of habitat, including forests, mountains, deserts and open land. The Canada lynx most often lives in mature forests, but they can also be found living in tundra or in rocky landscapes.

More lynx relatives

In all, four cats belong to the lynx family. In addition to the Canada lynx and bobcat, which is sometimes called the lynx cat, bay lynx or wildcat, there are the Eurasian lynx and the Spanish lynx, which is also called the Iberian lynx.

The Eurasian lynx is the most widespread of the four and can be found in 46 countries in Europe, northern Asia and the Middle East. These cats have long legs and large paws to help them navigate through snowy terrain, and they mostly eat deer and other hooved animals.

The Spanish lynx is the most rare of the four species and might be the most rare of all the wild cats in the world. It lives only in Spain and Portugal. It has shorter, more coarse hair than other lynx because it lives in a more mild climate. Their primary food source is rabbits, but they also eat ducks and other birds because they live in areas where millions of birds gather each spring and fall during their migrations.

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