Multiple reader-submitted photos of bobcats in Marion County have us wondering if there are more bobcats in the area.
Ocala-News.com has received three separate photos of bobcats over the past week from readers in Marion County.
In two separate instances, residents shared photos of bobcats in Marion Oaks. In a third instance, a reader shared a photo of a bobcat seen along a trail in Micanopy.
In all three cases, the bobcats were seen wandering around during the day. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, it is not uncommon to see bobcats during the day because they “sleep for only 2 to 3 hours at a time.”
Additionally, we are in the midst of the peak of bobcat breeding season. According to the FFWCC, bobcats breed from August to March, with the peak of the mating season coming in February and March.
Bobcats are generally about twice the size of most domestic cats and are tan or yellowish brown in color. Many feature dark brown or black streaks with under parts that are usually white with black spots.
According to the FFWCC, the cats live in deep forests, swamps, and on hammock land across the state. They also seek thick patches of saw palmetto and dense shrub thickets to use as resting sites and dens.
In more rural areas, bobcats range five or six square miles and generally cover their territory in a slow, methodical fashion, according to the FFWCC.
For more information on bobcats, visit the Bobcat information page through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.