Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
19
Cousins with a Difference: The Bobcat and the Lynx
MYTHS
The lynx is larger and fiercer than the bobcat.
Bobcats scream horribly.
IF THESE TWO CATS WERE HUMAN, THEY WOULD SURELY BE REGARDED NOT MERELY
AS COUSINS BUT AS
FIRST
COUSINS. So closely related are they that, while most other members
of the world's cat family are lumped into the plebeian genus
Felis,
the bobcat and Canada lynx—plus
the nearly identical Eurasian lynx and the Spanish lynx—share their own exclusive genus of
Lynx.
However, just as human first cousins can display great variation, these two short-tailed cats differ
widely in build, temperament, habitat requirements, and prey.
Depending on the authority one consults, there are either three or four species worldwide in the
genus
Lynx,
and thereby hangs a tale. Scientific names are formulated by scientists known as taxonom-
ists. Taxonomists are specialists in the science of classification; they decide, for example, which family
and genus a creature belongs to, and whether or not it should be listed as a distinct species. As in all
forms of scientific endeavor, there are differences of opinion among taxonomists, so they may alter a
scientific name one year and change it back again another.
This sort of Ping-Pong with the scientific nomenclature of cats has been in full swing in recent years.
For a long time the North American lynx was
Lynx canadensis,
while its bobcat cousin was
Lynx rufus.
Then, several years ago, these two cats lost their distinctive genus and were “downgraded” into the far
broader genus
Felis,
becoming, respectively,
Felis canadensis
and
Felis rufus.
But, as the song goes,
“The cat came back, it wouldn't stay away,” and more recently the bobcat and lynx were restored to
their former lofty status as the proud possessors of their own highly exclusive genus. That's not quite
the end of the tale, though.
