Research overview: snowpack as the competitive boundary between lynx and bobcat

A central theme in northern felid climate research is that the dividing line between Canada lynx and bobcat tracks snow conditions. This overview surveys the morphological and ecological basis for that boundary, lynx's large, snowshoe-like paws and low foot-loading versus bobcat's advantage in shallow snow, and how warming, reduced snow depth, and shorter snow seasons are predicted to let bobcats advance into former lynx range. It reviews the lines of evidence from range mapping, occupancy surveys, and snow-climate modeling that connect snowpack change to predicted lynx contraction. The piece frames why snow, rather than temperature alone, is the variable most studies emphasize for these competing cats.