🐈 Bobcat
Lynx rufus
A house-cat-sized wildcat with a terrifying voice. Their mating yowls have started many neighborhood rumors.
🔊 Hear the call
🐈 Bobcat
Reference call (simulated)
“Deep yowls, growls and unearthly screams that sound almost human”
What they sound like
Deep yowls, growls and unearthly screams that sound almost human
Why they make this sound
- · Mating season yowling contests
- · Territorial warning between rivals
- · Hissing and growling when threatened
When you’ll hear them
Dusk through night, peaking in the winter–early spring breeding season
Where they live
Brushy woodland, rocky canyons, swamps and quiet suburban edges Southern Canada through Mexico
Fun fact
Bobcats are usually silent — hearing one at all is genuinely uncommon.
Should I be concerned?
Extremely unlikely to bother you. Keep chickens and small pets secured, don't leave food out, and never corner one.
Sound signature
- Sound type
- Mammal vocalization — yowl
- Pitch
- Low to mid with harsh overtones
- Pattern
- Long wavering yowls separated by silence
- Frequency
- 200–1,500 Hz