From NJ Hiking
While hiking the Cedar Swamp Trail in High Point State Park we rounded a bend and were stunned to see a young bobcat on the trail in front of us.
Tom started recording as we stood there in amazement. Be sure to watch the video on this page to see the bobcats in action.
We could see the white spot on the black backs of his ears and he wagged his cute little “bobbed” tail.
After a few seconds he trotted off into the woods and we thought wow, what lucky timing.
Bobcats are shy and seldom seen. We hike A LOT and we’ve only seen a bobcat once, in Yosemite National Park, way back in 2008.
Bobcats were locally extinct from New Jersey by the 1970s. Between 1978 and 1982, 24 bobcats from Maine were reintroduced to New Jersey. Their numbers have increased but they remain on New Jersey’s endangered species list.
Bobcats are larger than housecats and stand about 2 feet tall. Females are usually between 18 and 25 lbs while a male can be as much as 35lbs.
They breed between February and June and typically have 2-3 young. A bobcat’s lifespan is 12-13 years.
For more about bobcats in New Jersey, see the NJDEP’s Bobcat Fact Sheet. Check out the Nature Conservancy to learn about land being preserved to create a “Bobcat Alley“
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