Species comparison
Bobcat vs Iberian Lynx
A side-by-side look at Lynx rufus and Lynx pardinus across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The bobcat and the iberian lynx fall into a similar body-mass band.
- Both species use semi-arid scrub and agricultural mosaic.
- Their ranges do not overlap: Bobcat lives in North America, Iberian Lynx in Europe.
- Red List categories differ: Bobcat is listed as Least Concern, Iberian Lynx as Vulnerable.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
Iberian Lynx
Lynx pardinus
Bobcat
Lynx
Iberian Lynx
Lynx
Bobcat
Lynx lineage
Iberian Lynx
Lynx lineage
Bobcat
Medium-sized cats
Iberian Lynx
Medium-sized cats
Bobcat
Bay lynx, Wildcat
Iberian Lynx
Spanish lynx, Pardel lynx
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
Bobcat
19 in – 4 ft 1 in (47–125 cm) Longer
Iberian Lynx
2 ft 3 in – 2 ft 8 in (68–82 cm)
Bobcat
4 in – 8 in (9–20 cm)
Iberian Lynx
5 in – 12 in (12–30 cm) Longer
Bobcat
12 in – 24 in (30–60 cm)
Iberian Lynx
18 in – 20 in (45–50 cm) Taller
Bobcat
8.8–40 lb (4–18 kg)
Typical males 7–14 kg; northern animals are consistently larger than southern ones.
Iberian Lynx
18–33 lb (8–15 kg) Heavier
Males average about 12.8 kg, females about 9.3 kg.
Bobcat
30 mph (48 km/h)
Short bursts; bobcats are stalkers rather than pursuers.
Iberian Lynx
Not reliably measured
Not systematically measured in the field.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
Bobcat
7–12 years
Iberian Lynx
9–13 years Longer
Bobcat
20–25 years Longer
Iberian Lynx
15–20 years
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
Bobcat
temperate forest, semi-arid scrub, desert, wetland, agricultural mosaic, montane forest
Almost anything with cover: chaparral, hardwood and conifer forest, swamp, desert canyon, sagebrush and the wooded margins of towns and cities.
Iberian Lynx
semi-arid scrub, dry forest, agricultural mosaic
Mediterranean scrub mosaics of dense cover for shelter and open pasture for rabbits, typically in cork oak and holm oak landscapes.
Bobcat
North America
From southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to central Mexico, with the highest densities in the south-east and south-west.
Iberian Lynx
Europe
Southern and central Spain and eastern Portugal. Reintroduction programmes have re-established populations well beyond the two relict nuclei of Doñana and the Sierra Morena.
Diet and behaviour
Feeding ecology, social organisation and hunting technique.
Bobcat
hares, small mammals, birds, reptiles, medium ungulates
Cottontail rabbits and rodents form the core; bobcats also take birds, lizards and, in northern winters, deer weakened by snow.
Iberian Lynx
hares, small mammals, birds
European rabbit is the staple; red-legged partridge, rodents and young ungulates are taken when rabbits are scarce.
Bobcat
Solitary and territorial
Males hold ranges overlapping several females, marking with scrapes, urine and faeces at trail junctions.
Iberian Lynx
Solitary and territorial
Territories are held for years and passed between generations; young disperse only when a vacancy opens, which makes habitat connectivity critical.
Bobcat
Crepuscular
Activity peaks around dawn and dusk, extending into the night near human settlement.
Iberian Lynx
Crepuscular and nocturnal
Most movement occurs at twilight, shifting towards daylight in cold winter weather.
Bobcat
Stalk and pounce
A bobcat freezes, creeps to within a few feet, then covers the last distance in one or two bounds.
Iberian Lynx
Stalk and short rush in scrub
The lynx works rabbit warrens and scrub edges, closing quietly before a brief sprint.
Bobcat
Strong More developed
Climbs easily, resting on branches and using trees to escape dogs and coyotes.
Iberian Lynx
Capable
Climbs trees when pressed but hunts almost entirely on the ground.
Bobcat
Capable More developed
Will swim across streams and swamp channels, notably in the south-eastern United States.
Iberian Lynx
Limited
Avoids water; there are few records of deliberate swimming.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
Bobcat
LC — Least Concern
Assessed 2016
Iberian Lynx
VU — Vulnerable
Assessed 2024
Bobcat
Stable
Iberian Lynx
Increasing
Bobcat
Vehicle collisions, Anticoagulant rodenticide exposure, Habitat fragmentation near cities, Regulated and illegal harvest pressure, Disease in isolated urban populations
Numbers are healthy across most of the range and the species has recolonised parts of the Midwest. Local concerns include rodenticide exposure in urban populations and mange outbreaks.
Iberian Lynx
Rabbit population crashes from viral disease, Road mortality, Habitat fragmentation, Illegal killing and snaring, Genetic bottlenecks in small nuclei
Moved from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2024 after two decades of captive breeding, reintroduction, rabbit habitat management and road mitigation raised the population from fewer than one hundred animals to several thousand.
Notable traits
Details that do not fit neatly into a measurement table.
Bobcat
- It is the most numerous wild cat in North America and the one most often photographed by home security cameras.
- Coat pattern varies from heavily spotted in the south-west to almost plain in northern forests.
- Urban bobcats in southern California have been studied for years as an indicator of how carnivores cope with fragmented landscapes.
Iberian Lynx
- The species was reduced to roughly one hundred individuals in two isolated populations in the early 2000s.
- Its recovery is one of the largest proportional improvements ever recorded for a wild cat.
- Underpasses and fencing along Spanish highways were built specifically to cut lynx road deaths.
Sources used for this comparison
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Global assessment categories, population trends and documented threats.
- IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group Species accounts, distribution notes and Cat News reporting for every wild felid.
- U.S. National Park Service Long-running monitoring of North American carnivores inside protected areas.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Federal listing status and recovery planning for cats occurring in the United States.
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Reviewed species accounts with morphometric ranges and reproductive data.
- Iberian Lynx Ex-situ Conservation Programme Annual census figures and reintroduction reporting for the Iberian lynx.
- LIFE Lynx-Connect (European Commission LIFE programme) Population recovery monitoring across Spain and Portugal.
- World Wildlife Fund Range descriptions, threat summaries and conservation programme reporting.