BULLETIN FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM VOL. 33(4)


of radio-equipped animals, the occurrence of disease-related mortality in
bobcats is unlikely to be detected. The role of domestic cats and other wildlife
species, such as raccoons, as reservoirs and vectors of parasites and diseases of
bobcats is an additional factor that needs to be considered in bobcat
management. As more development encroaches upon Florida bobcat habitats,
feral cats may become increasingly important as a source of FPLV outbreaks.
The occurrence of feline panleucopenia in Florida bobcat populations may also
pose a threat to the endangered Florida panther (Felis concolor coryi).
Bobcats are common in areas of the confirmed remaining panther populations
and could be a reservoir for feline panleucopenia, increasing the probability of
the disease spreading to panthers. Roelke et al. (1984) reported FPLV
antibodies in 8 of 13 bobcats and 9 of 10 panthers examined from areas of
south Florida where the two species coexist.
 Home range estimates for females based on daytime or infrequent radio
 fixes and density estimates derived from such data should take into account the
 seasonal variation in the pattern and timing of movements related to the
 reproductive status of the female. This study indicated that females with
 non-mobile young not only exhibit a temporal shift in activity but reduce the
 time spent at the periphery of their home range. Failure to monitor their
 movements intensively enough to compensate for the decreased probability of
 detecting them at the true limits of their home range could result in
 underestimation of home range size and overestimation of density.
 The marked seasonal trends in marking behavior and tendency to mark
more frequently at range boundaries have important implications with regard
to census techniques that use counts of scats as an index of abundance.
Censuses should be conducted at the same time of year, probably during late
fall-early winter when marking is at its peak. Concentration of scent-marking
along range boundaries could lead to erroneous interpretations of abundance if
some census routes happen to be located along range boundaries, which often
coincide with roads or trails, whereas others are not. These considerations
may also apply to scent-post census techniques, because the responsiveness of
a bobcat to a scent post is probably related to marking behavior and thus may
vary both seasonally and in relation to the location of the scent post station
within its home range.