Land tenure and occupation of vacant home ranges by bobcats (Lynx rufus)

Bobcat (Lynx rufus) social organization has been studied extensively, and a land tenure system based on prior residence appears to influence home range selection and maintenance. However, few studies have presented information about home range vacancies and the pattern of replacement by other bobcats. We documented 10 cases in which home ranges of deceased male and female resident bobcats were filled by transient or neighboring bobcats, and quantified the extent to which home ranges of new bobcats were similar to those of prior residents. For males (n = 5) and females (n = 5), respectively, an average of 85% and 79% of each replacement's home range and 89% and 74% of their point locations overlapped with the former resident's home range. This extensive overlap suggests that a land tenure system exists for bobcats and that home range vacancies are filled by transients or neighboring residents of the same sex. Although our results generally support the land tenure concept, we suggest that bobcat social organization may be more complex than previously reported.