BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM VOL. 33(4)


ranges of more than one female, it tended to include a greater share of the
range of one female than of the others, suggesting a closer relationship with
some females than others. Male-female associations involving more than one
female occurred during the period of increased mortality, particularly among
males, and may have reflected the shortage of males and instability of the
population at that time.
 In addition to increased accessibility of a mate, the observed tendency of
 association between a single male and female could have other adaptive
 advantages. The male may serve to protect food and other resources for the
 female and young within his range by inhibiting encroachment by other males.
 The male may also aid in protecting young from predation, including
 cannibalism by other males (Crowe 1974, Erickson 1955). In this study, the
 increased presence of an adult male (M8) in the areas frequented by the
 female (Fl) and her young litter within his home range following visits by the
 male (M6) from an adjacent territory may be an example of a resident male
 attempting to prevent an outsider from disturbing the young litter of his mate.
 As suggested above, the male also may encourage dispersal of older juveniles
 from their natal range thus reducing possible competition for food for the next
 litter and contributing to the dispersion of the population. Marshall's (1969)
 observation of an adult and a juvenile male bobcat growling and spitting at
 each other (possibly over food), with the larger male pursuing the smaller one,
 also may have been a case of an adult male interacting with a juvenile near
 dispersal age. Although studies in recent years have produced no evidence that
 male bobcats play a direct role in care of offspring, Young (1958) alleged that
 both parents may bring food to the young before and after the den is
 abandoned when kittens are about 2 months old.
 As noted by McCord and Cardoza (1982), present evidence indicates
considerable flexibility in bobcat social structure. This applies to felids in
general (Eisenberg 1986). Although some of the reported variation in spatial
relationships may be due to differences in methods of study or insufficient
data, actual differences within the same population at different times and
between populations in different regions or habitats probably reflect variation
in food resources, mortality patterns, weather conditions, and other ecological
factors. Although specific correlations between bobcat social organization and
demographic characteristics or environmental conditions remain to be
demonstrated, it is possible that the tendency for males and females to be
associated in pairs is characteristic of stable populations with a good prey base.

 Female-Young Behavior and Home Range Use.- Five family groups
involving three females and five litters were monitored until the young had
apparently dispersed. These young associated with their mothers for 8-11 (X
= 9) months. For the first 1.5-2 months after birth, while the kittens were
immobile, the movements of the mothers were more restricted, although they