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zephyr
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zephyr
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PostTue Oct 13, 2020 7:52 pm 
Normally I would post this in the Saloon in the YouTube section, but the incident apparently happened on a hiking trail in the Angeles National Forest. Such an amazing capture on a trail cam. Interesting behavior by the cat following the encounter. I found this in an article in the San Luis Obispo Tribune. The guy who filmed this has trail cams set up in several places. Sounds like one of our guys. wink.gif Quote: Martinez told TV station CBSLA the video was filmed on one of about 20 motion-activated trail cameras he has set up in the Angeles National Forest. Read more here: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/california/article246417820.html#storylink=cpy ~z
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Cyclopath
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PostTue Oct 13, 2020 8:57 pm 
Cats are amazing creatures: powerful, acrobatic, blindingly fast, able to see in the dark. Basically like Batman. (Also like Batman, house cats have butlers.) It stayed close to its prey but outside of striking range for several minutes after killing the snake. It looks more like a lynx? Or am I out in left field? I didn't think bobcats had such exaggerated tufts on their ears. Maybe the way the hair stands out sideways from the cheeks and below the chin too?

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Bootpathguy
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PostTue Oct 13, 2020 8:58 pm 
That's awesome!!! I never would have thought. Wow! That cat is fast. Its obvious the bobcat is experienced with hunting rattlesnakes. Amazing how it targets the head. Thanks for sharing that Z

Experience is what'cha get, when you get what'cha don't want
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zephyr
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zephyr
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PostTue Oct 13, 2020 10:57 pm 
Hey, Cyclopath. I did a super quick search on the difference between a Lynx and a Bobcat. More info here in this article. But just scrolling down to the map showing the range of both, I would say it was a Bobcat since it was in Southern California. Lynxes are taller, longer-legged. The tufted ears is a good question, but all the other characteristics say "Bobcat" to me. I am not perfectly sure though. When I do an image search for Bobcats, I seem some with tufts. Maybe it's a hybrid. Ooh! Just found this in Wikipedia: "Hybridization between the bobcat and the Canada lynx may sometimes occur.[6]" Check this other article and this quote: "Found in varied regions throughout North America, including the United States and Mexico, bobcats are smaller than lynxes, but they make up for their smaller size with their bold, aggressive temperament. ... With their fearless behavior and razor-sharp reflexes, bobcats sometimes even kill rattlesnakes and other venomous snakes. Their ability to move quickly allows bobcats to dodge the snake’s poisonous strikes with agility."
Bootpathguy wrote:
That's awesome!!! I never would have thought. Wow! That cat is fast. Its obvious the bobcat is experienced with hunting rattlesnakes. Amazing how it targets the head. Thanks for sharing that Z
Yep. I agree. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing. I wonder if they have an understanding that the bite is toxic and potentially lethal? He was like a ninja--staying out of range and delivering quick blows to the head. You're welcome. I thought you'd get a kick out of it. wink.gif ~z

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Mike Collins
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PostWed Oct 14, 2020 6:30 am 
The rolling behavior on the ground is for the deposition of scent. https://maxallen.inhs.illinois.edu/files/2019/01/Allen-2015-Bobcat-Scent-Marking.pdf

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texasbb
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texasbb
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PostWed Oct 14, 2020 8:06 am 
I'm gonna try rolling around in my next meal before I eat it! According to this, and this, lynx/bobcat hybrids are called blynx.

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Cyclopath
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PostWed Oct 14, 2020 8:20 am 
Blynx! I love it! I didn't know that about their ranges (or that they could hybridize), thanks for making me aware of all this. I just had a vague idea that conspicuous tufts meant lynx. Now I know what my crack head cat is thinking when he attacks my shoelaces!

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jinx'sboy
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PostThu Oct 15, 2020 9:19 pm 
I sent the video to a Wildlife Bio friend, who’s spent time working with Lynx populations here in the NW. She said: - It is a Bobcat; little question about it. - Nearly impossible to be a Lynx, or a hybrid. It would be 1000 miles outside of Lynx territory, which runs mostly across the northern tier of States against the Canadian border (plus some small introduced populations in Colorado and So. Idaho). My own experience in seeing Lynx is that they are much higher (taller) in the rear end than this cat. And have way bigger feet. (But I have only seen 2)

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Cyclopath
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PostThu Oct 15, 2020 9:22 pm 
Thanks jinx'sboy! 🙂 And zephyr. It was amazing to see. I feel sorry for the rattler, but my god that cat was fast, cunning, agile, and intelligent, it has a strategy.

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RumiDude
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PostThu Oct 15, 2020 9:29 pm 
texasbb wrote:
I'm gonna try rolling around in my next meal before I eat it!
Doesn't everyone already do that? Or is it just me? Rumi

"This is my Indian summer ... I'm far more dangerous now, because I don't care at all."
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jinx'sboy
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PostThu Oct 15, 2020 9:33 pm 
RumiDude wrote:
Doesn't everyone already do that?
Only with garlic mashed ‘taters. With gravy. Duh...of course....

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Malachai Constant
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PostThu Oct 15, 2020 11:03 pm 
I do not understand why folks are always trying to make bobcats into lynxes. I have a game camera and have quite a few pictures of cats in my back yard. People are always trying to argue that what is clearly a bobcat is really a lynx. It is like someone arguing that a picture of a standing bear is Sasquatch . Is it because the lynxes are rarer? The odds even here are much better that it is a bobcat.

"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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texasbb
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texasbb
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PostFri Oct 16, 2020 7:20 am 
Malachai Constant wrote:
It is like someone arguing that a picture of a standing bear is Sasquatch .
Or vice versa.

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Cyclopath
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PostFri Oct 16, 2020 8:08 am 
Malachai Constant wrote:
I do not understand why folks are always trying to make bobcats into lynxes. I have a game camera and have quite a few pictures of cats in my back yard. People are always trying to argue that what is clearly a bobcat is really a lynx. It is like someone arguing that a picture of a standing bear is Sasquatch . Is it because the lynxes are rarer? The odds even here are much better that it is a bobcat.
Well everyone knows the squatches congregate along the lime kiln trail in Granite Falls. But it was the ears and muttonchops that fooled me about the cat. And in so doing, I leaned a new word: blynx. smile.gif

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zephyr
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PostFri Oct 16, 2020 9:56 am 
Again, this is a great article on the differences between lynxes and bobcats. Bobcat vs Lynx – What’s the Difference? "Bobcats and lynxes are medium-sized cats that live in various regions throughout the globe. There are four different types of wild cats belonging to the lynx genus, including the Canadian lynx ( lynx canadensis) which is found in Canada and some US states such as Washington and Montana; the Eurasian lynx (lynx linnaeus), which is found in parts of Europe and Asia; and Iberian lynx (lynx pardenis), a highly endangered species that is native to Spain and Portugal. The bobcat, or lynx rufus, is the fourth member of the lynx family. Although it might be difficult to tell the differences between bobcats and their lynx cousins at first glance, bobcats have several key physical and behavioral differences that distinguish them from other types of lynxes." "The most obvious difference between a lynx vs bobcat is its size. Most lynxes are much larger than a bobcat.... While lynxes tend to live in cold forests, bobcats are found in a variety of climates and terrains from arid deserts to rocky, mountainous regions." The bobcat in the video was filmed in the Angeles National Forest near San Fernando Valley. Here's a range map from that other article I first mentioned. How to Tell the Difference Between a Canada Lynx and a Bobcat. The lynx question came up because this particular bobcat had tufted ears. The Wikipedia article is very informative. Under Physical Characteristics here's something about the ears: "The bobcat resembles other species of the midsize genus Lynx, but is on average the smallest of the four. Its coat is variable, though generally tan to grayish-brown, with black streaks on the body and dark bars on the forelegs and tail. Its spotted patterning acts as camouflage. The ears are black-tipped and pointed, with short, black tufts." Hopefully this helps clear up the confusion. ~z
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