Northwoods Feline

It hasn't taken long to develop a stomach for dead animals when a steady stream of salvaged birds, rodents, and other Northwoods critters regularly enter the Museum as material for future educational experiences. I have become nearly accustomed to slipping on a pair of nitrile gloves and briefly examining the creature before sealing and depositing it in our salvaged animal freezer. Still, there are certain instances when I feel completely unprepared for the animal that I am about to encounter. 

Just last week the Museum received a call from a couple who had driven past an unusual example of roadkill--a bobcat! They were intent on depositing it at the Museum, and arrived quickly after our phone call. I hurriedly met the couple  outside without even stopping for my jacket that blustery afternoon. The couple had parked their truck right in front of the Museum and as I approached, I saw that the truck bed was already open to reveal the bobcat. She was beautiful, and I found it difficult to take my eyes off of her lifeless body, let alone approach her. Bobcats are roughly twice the size of an ordinary housecat, with long legs and a short tail that looks to be cut or "bobbed." I've only ever seen one live in a zoo when I was much younger, and the average person probably won't see one in the wild during their lifetime. 

Bobcats are crepuscular--actively hunting their prey of squirrels, rabbits, and other small creatures during twilight hours.  They're solitary too. I have heard of them occasionally venturing out from the cover of their densely vegetated habitat, but know it to be a rare occurrence. Most of these stories came from farmers or other community members whose homes border the forest, and these homes often provided a domesticated source of prey such as dogs, cats, or chickens. Bobcats are agile hunters, still their survival is actually quite delicately dependent on ever-changing environmental conditions. 

The average-sized front paw of a bobcat,
held by an average-sized human hand.

Between the frantic phone call and the arrival of the bobcat that day, a colleague asked me how large the paws are. Most of us are aware of some wild cat species that have enormous paws. Take the lynx for example, a close relative with disproportionately large front and hind feet. These work as snowshoes to allow for navigating northern winter landscapes, and are thought to be useful for catching prey. Bobcats live through Northwoods winters too, but must do so without the winter navigation capabilities of a lynx. So before I placed the bobcat in the Museum freezer, I took a moment to hold her paw in my hand and contemplate what she may have endured through past winters. 

This particular bobcat would not experience another season of the Northwoods blanketed in snow and ice. She will instead inspire visitors as a taxidermy mount, or certain parts of her will be used as teaching props. Despite the unfortunate circumstances of our encounter, I knew that this feline would leave a lasting impression on me, and will do so for others into the future.