Bobcat Physiology
Introduction
An organism that lives within fifty miles of my home is a bobcat. Bobcats are nocturnal creatures, they are rarely seen by people. The bobcat is a mammal and a carnivore from the Felidae cat family. The average life span is 10 to 12 years. The average size is 26 to 41 inches long and the tail 4 to 7 inches long. The average weight is 11 to 30 pounds. The bobcat got its name from its tail that is stubbed or bobbed. They are solitary with gray to brown color whiskers, black bars on the fore legs, bobbed tails, and black tipped ears. They are elusive predators, bringing down prey bigger than themselves. Stealthy when they hunt, bobcats leap and pounce covering ten feet to deliver a death blow to their prey. (www.wikipedia.org)
[pic] (www.wikipedia.org) [pic]
Environment Description and Role of Organism
The bobcat’s environment is mostly North America spanning from Canada to Mexico. These environments range from snow in Canada with negative degree temperatures to Mexico and Texas with 100 plus degree temperatures. The landscape of the bobcat’s environment is swamplands, woods, snow, forests, edge of urban areas, desert areas, and rocky areas. The food source for the bobcat is rabbits, hares, insects, rodents, birds, other pests, and sometimes bigger animals such as deer. The role of the bobcat is to assist with the control of the local populations of the food source previously mentioned and the help control other pests providing balance to nature. (www.bobcathdonovan.weebly.com/physiology.html)
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(www.carnivoraforum.com)
Structures and Functions of the Main Organs
The main organs of the bobcat are the buccal cavity, nasal cavity, brain, spinal cord, diaphragm, liver, stomach, kidney, large intestine, anus, testis, urethra, bladder, spleen, gall bladder, heart, lung, esophagus, and trachea. Many of these organs are similar to organs that a human may have....