WASSMER ET AL.: SOUTH-CENTRAL FLORIDA BOBCAT ECOLOGY 185

ranges were significantly larger (U5,7 = 3,p < 0.05, 2-tailed) than those of adult
females. The individuals were monitored from 16 to 1143 days (X = 465) and
located on 26%-94% (X = 44) of the days during the total period they were
tracked. The mean number of fixes per cat was 333 (range = 21-1248). The
shape of home ranges tended to be elliptical. Mean maximum range length
and width were 7.3 km (range = 5.3-9.0) and 5.1 km (range = 4.3-5.8),
respectively, for adult males and 5.2 km (range = 4.2-7.0) and 4.0 km (range =
2.6-6.6) for adult females (Table 4). Adult male ranges were significantly
longer (U = 4, p < 0.05, 2-tailed) than those of adult females, but there was
no sex difference in width (U = 7,p > 0.05, 2-tailed). The mean ratio of
length to width was 1.5 (range = 1.0-2.1) for adult males and 1.4 (range =
1.1-1.8) for adult females. The difference was not significant (U,7 = 15.5,
p > 0.05, 2-tailed).
 Home range boundaries tended to coincide with such features as railroad
tracks, firelanes, roads, footpaths, and well-defined edges between natural and
man-modified habitats. When portions of the vacated range of a deceased
bobcat were occupied by surviving same-sexed neighbors or when a range
boundary shift occurred between two same-sexed bobcats, the new boundaries
were usually established along such distinctive habitat features. No
"exploratory" movements were detected. It is possible that with the relatively
intense tracking effort in this study visits to peripheral areas were regularly
recorded and thus the areas were recognized as part of the range, whereas with
less frequent monitoring movements to such outlying points might have been
regarded as "exploratory."
 Observed short-term home ranges of adults with an adequate number of
locations in any of the 12 time periods to provide a reliable indication of
movements are given in Table 5. As in the case of overall home ranges, male
short-term ranges averaged larger (X = 15.5 km2, range = 11.8-22.0) than
those of females (X = 8.8 km2, range = 5.9-12.4). The difference was
significant (U57 = 2, p < 0.01, 2-tailed). Short-term ranges of males in
different time intervals were from 15 to 84% (X = 56) of their respective
overall home ranges, as compared with 32-87% (X = 60) for females). Ratios
of maximum to minimum short-term home ranges for individuals with
estimates in two or more time intervals averaged 0.61 (range = 0.24-0.91) for
five males and 0.62 (range = 0.39-0.84) for five females. The difference in
ranks of ratios for males and females was not significant (U = 12, p > 0.05,
2-tailed), indicating that there was no sex difference in relative variability of the
home range over time.
 Short-term home range estimates did not exhibit any obvious seasonal
 trends. Two young individuals (M6, F8) showed expansion of their home
 ranges following independence from the mother. Observed home range size of
 other individuals frequently changed abruptly from one time period to another.
 A major cause of such changes was the death or disappearance of a neighbor.