Wild America | S9 E1 'Bobcat' | Full Episode | FANGS

uh [Music] so [Music] i'm marty staufer our most common wild feline is the bobcat it's a perfectly designed predator quick enough to catch a tiny mouse formidable enough to bring down a full-grown deer the bobcat named for its short tail is shy and solitary but it's not all business like other cats it loves to play and will often pester its prey to death it's easily confused with a close cousin the lynx many observers can't tell them apart in the wild though having similar roles in nature each has a unique personality and lifestyle so they often compete let's find out why the winner is almost always the bobcat it's hardly bigger than a house cat but this little bundle of nerves is one of the most fierce and versatile predators in the world it roams our western mountains and deserts to elevations of about ten thousand feet it hunts among the cypress bayous of our southern swamps and the hardwood forests of our eastern woodlands it's at home on our plains and prairies the white tip of its tail sets the bobcat apart from its cousin the lynx which has a black tail tip the bobcat also has a far more diversified range than the lynx the bobcat is found from coast to coast and from mexico to the canadian border across all the contiguous states the range of the less common links stretches north across the great boreal forest of canada only in a few isolated areas of the northern rockies do the ranges of these two cats overlap [Music] though both animals are superb nocturnal hunters the lynx has a relaxed personality while the bobcat is fiercely aggressive in this rare encounter the lynx has a slight advantage in size weight and reach but the bobcat has the more important advantage of a ferocious disposition uh [Music] uh uh [Music] hmm [Music] [Music] the lynx is ready to quit while the bobcat seems to be eager for more [Music] the long-legged lynx with its large broad feet is perfectly adapted to snowy country yet it is the one that retreats leaving the bobcat to relish its moment of victory [Music] in the northern rockies as cold winter nights give way to warm spring days normally solitary bobcats come together to mate about two months later a female will bear from two to four kittens blind and helpless at birth within 10 days their eyes open and they follow their mother out of the dan into the sunshine a bobcat mother is devoted to her kittens but she's quick to sense when it's time for them to learn the lessons of the wild um the mother twitches her bob tail as if beckoning her kittens to follow but she soon leaves them alone to discover the world for themselves for the kittens everything is new and strangely inviting their instincts urged them to investigate this quick moving weasel curiosity is the best teacher for any cat weasels may be small but they're very feisty bb the weasels needle sharp teeth and furious defense only serve to excite this kitten's equally aggressive nature that is until its sibling clumsily enters the act and gets nipped on the backside in the process so [Music] oh finally the kittens tire of the game and the family moves on to other lessons the male bobcat usually disappears after mating and seldom takes any part in the training of his offspring all that these kittens learn will be taught them by their mother natural landmarks such as streams and mountain ridges help define a bobcat's territory scent marks are a primary means of identifying home ground [Music] water is anything but a barrier to a bobcat especially when a meal of brook trout is involved [Music] contrary to popular belief most species of wild cats actually enjoy water though few are as clever at fishing as the bobcat [Music] in summer the trout are at their most succulent perfect nourishment for growing kittens [Music] bobcats are found in virtually every life zone in north america from the driest desert to the wettest swamp the swamp lands of southern alabama are ideal breeding grounds for myriads of creatures ideal breeding grounds make rich feeding grounds and here the bobcat thrives on a varied diet [Music] it's not clear whether the bullfrog is play or prey but it soon appears that there is another more serious player in the game opting to keep its meal the bobcat leaps for the nearest tree like all cats bobcats are excellent climbers but then so are bears [Music] in this game the only real loser is the bullfrog for the moment the bobcat must be satisfied with a diet of curiosity among the scrub oak and ponderosa pines of northern new mexico autumn is the time for creatures of all kinds to feed and fatten before the snow flies a flock of merriam's wild turkeys forages on acorns and seeds and a young bobcat on its own at the end of its first summer sharpens its claws and its appetite a bobcat depends primarily on keen eyesight and hearing above all success demands stealth unlike wild dogs such as wolves or coyotes wild cats have little stamina for chasing prey over long distances this gobbler seems headed for the wrong place at the wrong time meanwhile the bobcat takes advantage of every bit of cover to get as close as possible before springing they may have looked like easy targets but wild turkeys are among our fastest flying game birds they often prefer to run as if aware that escape is only a wing beat away even a young predator has better sense than to waste its energy on a useless chase [Music] [Applause] [Music] snow blasted in winter sun baked in summer our midwestern plains may be consistently flat but they're hardly monotonous in temperature for the bobcat being able to cope with such variety is not only the spice of life but the essence of survival [Laughter] the bobcat's ability to thrive on a widely varied diet in many climates and habitats rivals that of its canine competitor the coyote in recent decades despite trapping and poisoning both species have expanded their ranges though their hunting methods differ the coyote and the bobcat are primarily nocturnal predators and eat many of the same foods it's no wonder that they sometimes come into direct competition the frontiersman who boasted that he could whip his weight in wildcats would have been a sorry mess had he ever tackled even one in a face-to-face confrontation even a coyote would be hard-pressed to beat a bobcat but this bobcat has just tired itself out capturing the prairie chicken the coyote on the other hand is fresh persistent and clever enough to use bluff instead of getting too close [Music] um uh oh [Music] across the northern part of its range a favorite food is the snowshoe hare the hair is a staple in the diet of the lynx but for the bobcat it's only one item among many [Music] so so [Music] on harder crusted snow the bobcat has the advantage but the hair manages to escape to a shaded area where the snow is soft and it's supported by its snowshoe feet [Music] the bobcat sinks in and loses ground [Music] for every meal it catches the bobcat misses ten or more [Music] yet persistence is part of its character this little cat benefits nature and it inspires us with its fierce determination the range of the links is shrinking whereas that of the versatile bobcat is expanding in fact a bobcat den could probably be found within an hour's drive of every major city some cats do prey on livestock yet overall they're valuable as rodent controllers and though limited by man's desire for its fur this animal seems here to stay the adaptable bobcat i'm marty stauffer until next time enjoy our wild america [Music] you

Channel: Wild America Animal Channel

Views: 49,978

Keywords: animals, family, tvshowforkids, educationalvideos, documentary, fangs, cute animals, wildlife, wildlife videos, shows about animals, animal welfare advocacy, reality tv animals, reality tv shows full episodes, nature, martystouffer, wildamerica, wilderness, bobcat, predator, prey, hunt

Id: ixNOAK1mKsk

Length: 28min 28sec (1708 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 19 2022