Sometimes i see spots: Patterns of abundance and distribution of the bobcat (lynx rufus) in different regions of México

Abstract

Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are distributed throughout North America, but bobcat densities have been well-documented primarily only for the United States. The highest known density of this species is in the southern United States, and from there their density decreases northward to southern Canada. Despite the fact that México contains about 35 % of the species range, there are no data on their abundance or density in México. The objectives of this study were to document the density of bobcats from northwestern to southern México and to understand the abundance patterns of this species. Camera traps were used in combination with capture-recapture models to estimate densities. Using the MaxEnt ecological niche model, the potential distribution of the bobcat was obtained. With an effort of 2,070 camera trap days, we obtained 41 bobcat photographs in five localities from 2005 to 2007. Our estimated bobcat densities varied from 0.05 to 0.53 bobcat/km2. Using MaxEnt, we estimated the available habitat in each site and extrapolated the density data to obtain a range of bobcat population estimates per site. The areas estimated were between 1,861 to 16,663 km2, with a population from 592 to 2,161 bobcats. Bobcat density in México is highest in the north and decreases to the south of its range. Probably the optimal habitat for this species is found in the southern United States and northern México where the highest densities of its entire distribution occur.