Species comparison
European Wildcat vs Bobcat
A side-by-side look at Felis silvestris and Lynx rufus across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The bobcat averages about 2 times the body mass of the european wildcat.
- Both species use temperate forest and montane forest.
- Their ranges do not overlap: European Wildcat lives in Europe and Asia, Bobcat in North America.
- Both are currently listed as Least Concern on the Red List.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
European Wildcat
Felis silvestris
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
European Wildcat
Felis
Bobcat
Lynx
European Wildcat
Domestic cat lineage
Bobcat
Lynx lineage
European Wildcat
Small cats
Bobcat
Medium-sized cats
European Wildcat
Forest wildcat, Scottish wildcat
Bobcat
Bay lynx, Wildcat
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
European Wildcat
19 in – 2 ft 7 in (47–80 cm)
Bobcat
19 in – 4 ft 1 in (47–125 cm) Longer
European Wildcat
10 in – 15 in (26–37 cm) Longer
Bobcat
4 in – 8 in (9–20 cm)
European Wildcat
14 in – 16 in (35–40 cm)
Bobcat
12 in – 24 in (30–60 cm) Taller
European Wildcat
6.6–18 lb (3–8 kg)
Males commonly 4–8 kg, females 3–5 kg; weight varies seasonally.
Bobcat
8.8–40 lb (4–18 kg) Heavier
Typical males 7–14 kg; northern animals are consistently larger than southern ones.
European Wildcat
Not reliably measured
Not measured in the field.
Bobcat
30 mph (48 km/h)
Short bursts; bobcats are stalkers rather than pursuers.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
European Wildcat
7–10 years
Bobcat
7–12 years Longer
European Wildcat
15–18 years
Bobcat
20–25 years Longer
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
European Wildcat
temperate forest, montane forest, agricultural mosaic, semi-arid scrub
Deciduous and mixed woodland with dense understorey, forest edge, scrub and riparian corridors, generally below the winter snowline.
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.
European Wildcat
Europe, Asia
Fragmented populations across Iberia, France, Italy, Germany, the Carpathians, the Balkans and Scotland, extending east into Turkey and the Caucasus.
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.
Diet and behaviour
Feeding ecology, social organisation and hunting technique.
European Wildcat
small mammals, hares, birds, reptiles
Voles, mice and rabbits dominate; birds, frogs and insects are taken when rodents are scarce.
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.
European Wildcat
Solitary and territorial
Adults hold woodland ranges marked with scent and claw marks, and avoid open ground where possible.
Bobcat
Solitary and territorial
Males hold ranges overlapping several females, marking with scrapes, urine and faeces at trail junctions.
European Wildcat
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Primarily night active, with more daytime movement in undisturbed forest and during cold weather.
Bobcat
Crepuscular
Activity peaks around dawn and dusk, extending into the night near human settlement.
European Wildcat
Stalk and pounce along cover edges
Works woodland margins, hedgerows and clearings, listening for rodents in ground vegetation.
Bobcat
Stalk and pounce
A bobcat freezes, creeps to within a few feet, then covers the last distance in one or two bounds.
European Wildcat
Strong
Climbs confidently and dens in hollow trees and root cavities.
Bobcat
Strong
Climbs easily, resting on branches and using trees to escape dogs and coyotes.
European Wildcat
Limited
Avoids water and swims only when necessary.
Bobcat
Capable More developed
Will swim across streams and swamp channels, notably in the south-eastern United States.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
European Wildcat
LC — Least Concern
Assessed 2022
Bobcat
LC — Least Concern
Assessed 2016
European Wildcat
Decreasing
Bobcat
Stable
European Wildcat
Hybridisation with feral domestic cats, Disease from domestic cats, Woodland fragmentation, Road mortality, Accidental trapping
Listed as Least Concern overall, but several regional populations are in serious trouble. The Scottish population reached the point where conservation breeding and release became the main recovery tool.
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.
Notable traits
Details that do not fit neatly into a measurement table.
European Wildcat
- The tail is the most reliable field mark: thick, blunt-ended and marked with distinct dark rings.
- Hybridisation is now measured genetically, since intermediate animals can look entirely wild.
- Reinforcement releases have been used in Scotland after the wild population declined to a critical level.
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.
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.
- Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation Dedicated research and field reporting on the lesser-known felids.
- World Wildlife Fund Range descriptions, threat summaries and conservation programme reporting.
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Reviewed species accounts with morphometric ranges and reproductive data.
- 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.