Female bobcat reproductive behavior and kitten survival in an urban fragmented landscape

Bobcats are found throughout most of North America and may be important members of many ecological communities, but their existence is threatened in some areas due to increasing urban encroachment. Many studies have been conducted on adult bobcats, but reproductive behavior, and specifically kitten survival, behavior, and dispersal, is less well understood. Nothing is known about the potential effects of urban development on reproduction and kitten dispersal, even though successful reproduction and dispersal may be especially important in fragmented urban landscapes where local population size can be reduced and connectivity is important. I studied female reproductive behavior and kitten survival throughout the remaining habitat fragments of a southern California suburb. Females, fitted with collars, and kittens, implanted with intraperitoneal transmitters, were monitored through radio telemet1y for survival and movements. Survival, home range size and location, and movement patterns were analyzed with respect to land use (urban development, natural, etc.), time of year, and developmental stage of the kittens. Kitten survival was low, and all of the mortality occurred within the first 5 months. Most of it likely due to predation by coyotes. Home range size varied with time of year and kitten development for both adult females and kittens. Kitten movement was highly c01Telated with developmental stage, with older kittens exhibiting more extensive movements. Females with kittens had larger home ranges than females without kittens in all seasons other than denning, and males had larger ranges than both in most seasons. Understanding the way in which altered habitats affect reproduction and kitten survival in bobcats will play an integral role in the conservation of this species along the urban edge.