The smallest of the lynxes, but unlike lynxes which are exclusively forest dwellers, the bobcat dwells in a wide variety of habitats ranging from the forests of southern Canada to the desert regions of the southwestern United States and Mexico. They stand 20-24 inches and weigh 15-30 pounds. Bobcats are lighter and have a short 6-inch white tail for which it's named. This territorial and reclusive animal is a diurnal preying on small mammals.