Abstract

Urban Denning Analysis of Bobcats in Coastal Southern California
Track: Parks, Natural Reserves, Fisheries, and Wildlife Management
Authors: Ian Ice

Habitat loss is the primary cause in the decline of field species. The bobcat, Lynx Rufus, a predator on the high end of the food chain, is especially sensitive to this habitat loss. Bobcats in fragmented areas of Los Angeles and Orange Counties are trying to adapt to influences of urban adjacency, and even within these urban areas. Erin Boydston, a research ecologist with the United States Geological Survey, proposed to analyze the urban denning trends among bobcats in these areas. Using a GIS, the spatial analysis of denning locations revealed common characteristics among bobcats in the study area. These landuse/land type characteristics were used to create a model that predicted where female bobcats are likely to locate their dens in urban areas, given any development scenario. Common den characteristics in urban areas include: close proximity to water, close proximity to natural habitat, significant vegetation coverage, and low residential densities.