The Oregon Bobcat.
Photo from National Geographic
Let's start with the facts:
First discovered on February 21, 1806, described at Fort Clatsop, Oregon.
Color: Tawny (grayer in winter), with indistinct dark spotting. Short, stubby tail. Ears slightly tufted. Male larger than female. Length: 2.3–4.1 ft (0.7–1.2 m); tail: 4–7 in (10–17 cm). Weight: 14–29 lb (6.4–13 kg).
Habitat: Primarily scrubby country or broken forests—hardwood, coniferous, or mixed; also swamps, farmland, and rocky or brushy arid lands.
Range: Spotty distribution from coast to coast, and from southern Canada into Mexico. Probably most plentiful in the Far West, from Idaho, Utah, and Nevada to the Pacific coast and from Washington to Baja California. Scarce or absent in much of Midwest.
Note: Found only in North America, where it is the most common wildcat, the bobcat gets its common name from its stubby, or "bobbed," tail.
Below: Spotted in our very own Oregon forests. If you don't look closely, you could miss it! The bottom picture shows one of its tracks in the snow.
