Research overview: bobcats in urban and suburban landscapes

Bobcats increasingly occupy urban and suburban environments, and this overview reviews research on these populations. GPS-tracking studies in metropolitan areas document bobcats using remnant natural patches, parks, and green corridors while navigating roads, fences, and human activity. The cats often shift toward greater nocturnality near people and exploit abundant prey in human-modified habitats. Yet urban life brings hazards including vehicle collisions, rodenticide exposure, and disease such as mange linked to anticoagulant poisons. These studies illuminate how a medium-sized carnivore coexists with dense human populations and provide a valuable model for urban-carnivore ecology. They also reveal contaminant pathways and connectivity barriers relevant to conserving wildlife in expanding cities across North America and beyond.