Diet and condition of bobcats, Lynx rufus, in Nova Scotia during autumn and winter

Abstract

A study was conducted from 1980 to 1982 on the diet and condition of bobcats, Lynx rufus, in the province of Nova Scotia. Skinned carcasses were provided by trappers, hunters, fur buyers, and taxidermists. The autumn–winter diet was determined from analysis of 1099 stomachs. Canine teeth were sectioned and aged to group the bobcats into three age-classes: juvenile, yearling, and adult. Snowshoe hare, Lepus americanus, occurred most frequently as a prey item, followed by white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virgìnianus, and small mammals. The mean weights of hare and deer consumed per feeding were similar. Male bobcats consumed deer more frequently and in larger quantities than did females. Adults consumed deer more frequently and in larger quantities than did juveniles. Bobcats harvested in the first year of the study (1980–1981) consumed deer more frequently than did those harvested in the second year (1981–1982), while hare population levels were found to be lower in the first year than in the second. A condition index was developed by dividing the sum of the weights of mesenteric, kidney, and sternum fat by the weight of the skinned carcass. The groups (males, adults, and specimens harvested in 1980–1981) that more frequently consumed deer were found to be in the best condition.