The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is typically described as an obligatory predator that infrequently scavenges and displays a strong preference for fresh prey. Scavenging behavior of the species has rarely been directly observed or documented and instead has been generally inferred from stomach content analysis. We observed a female bobcat and cub scavenging domestic pig (Sus scrofa) carcasses for a total of seven consecutive days during a carrion utilization study in central Oklahoma. These observations suggest that bobcats will readily exploit fresh carrion when under the caloric demands of rearing young. Bobcats possibly play an overlooked role in the guild of carrion recyclers in suburban and semirural ecosystems subjected to human encroachment.
How to translate text using browser tools
1 December 2015
Facultative Scavenging and Carrion Guild Participation by Lynx rufus in the Presence of Young
Kama A. King,
Wayne D. Lord,
Heather R. Ketchum,
R. Christopher O'Brien
ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE
The Southwestern Naturalist
Vol. 60 • No. 4
December 2015
Vol. 60 • No. 4
December 2015