Bobcats live an average of 12 to 13 years. Bobcat habitat varies widely from forests and mountainous areas to semideserts and brush land. A habitat dense with vegetation and lots of prey is ideal. Bobcats are excellent hunters, stalking prey with stealth and patience, then capturing their meal with one great leap. They are typically solitary and territorial animals.
Females never share territory with each other, however, male territories tend to overlap.
Territories are established with scent marking and range approximately 25 to 30 square miles for males and about five square miles for females. Mating usually occurs in late winter. Litter sizes vary from one to six cubs. Cubs stay with their mother for a year. In Mexico, bobcats are persecuted as a sheep predator and are frequently killed by farmers.