Bobcat Winter Food Habits 



115 



of stomachs for the region. To determine if these county samples biased 

 the total regional sample, we ranked the top eight food items in these 

 counties and compared them to the top eight food items in the remain- 

 ing counties of the region. The differences in ranks were not statistically 

 significant (p>0.05). 



Mammals were the most frequently represented food group, with 

 20 species identified statewide (Table 3). The top eight food items 

 ranked by frequency of occurrence were rabbits; birds; cotton rats; 

 white-tailed deer; small rodents; gray squirrels; raccoons, Procyon lotor; 

 and opossums, Didelphis virginianus. Small numbers of reptiles, am- 

 phibians, fish, and insects also were identified. 



Rabbits were the most frequently identified species in bobcat stom- 

 achs (Table 3, Fig. 2). The percent occurrence of rabbits decreased from 

 the Coastal Plain to the Mountain region (p<0.05), probably in response 

 to differences in abundance of rabbits in the regions rather than to shifts 

 in prey preference. The low frequency (5.6%) of rabbits in stomachs 

 from the Mountain region contrasted the findings of Progulske (1952) 



ADULT MALES (156 STOMACHS) 



MISC. PREY (1,8%) 



OTHER MAMMALS 



(4 4%) 

 SMALL RODENTS 



( 13%) 

 SQUIRREL (4.8%) 



<DS 

 (16 7%) 



RACCOON (7 5%) 



DEER (172%) 



COTTON RAT (10 6%) 



ADULT FEMALES (134 STOMACHS) 



-MISC PREY (18%) 



UNKNOWN MAMMALS 

 (77%) 



SQUIRREL (4 7%) 

 RACCOON ( I % ) 

 DEER (5.7%) 



COTTON RAT (12%) 



KITTENS (108 STOMACHS) 



MISC PREY (3.7%) 



SQUIRREL (4.3%) 

 DEER (1.8%) 



COTTONRAT (15.8%) 



Fig. 2. Relative percent frequency of occurrence of food items identified in adult 

 male, adult female, and kitten bobcat stomachs. Small rodents include voles, 

 marsh rice rat, and mice; other mammals include opossum, muskrat, pig, rats, 

 chipmunk, flying squirrel, and beaver; miscellaneous prey include reptiles, 

 amphibians, fish, and arthropods. 



