Photographic documentation of melanism in bobcats (Lynx rufus) in the Greater Everglades.

ABSTRACT: We document the presence of bobcats (Lynx rufus) that demonstrate melanism in the Greater Everglades. The South Florida landscape is driven by a myriad of disturbance regimes particularly that of short fire intervals. We monitored 180 camera traps for 3 years and obtained 9503 photographs of bobcats 25 (<0.5%) of these detections included melanistic individuals. Our observations and historical accounts suggest melanism is a phenotype that persists, albeit it at an exceedingly low frequency, in bobcats in the region. While we do not know if the expression of melanism conferred a fitness benefit in our system, the vegetation structure that was characterized by frequently burned uplands and low-light and densely vegetated swamps produced conditions that may render a benefit from melani

SUBMITTER: Branney AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10791593 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature