🐆 Bobcat vs Coyote 🐺
The bobcat is about twice as long as the coyote. The coyote weighs about one and a half times as much as the bobcat.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐆 Bobcat | 🐺 Coyote |
|---|---|---|
| Size The bobcat is about twice as long as the coyote. | 30 in to 4.1 ft76 cm to 1.2 m1 | 16 to 20 in41 to 51 cm2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The coyote weighs about one and a half times as much as the bobcat. | 8.8 to 33 lb4 to 15 kg1 | 25 to 35 lb11 to 16 kg2 |
| Lives The bobcat usually lives about twice as long as the coyote. | 12 years12 years1 | 6 years6 years2 |
| Eats The bobcat eats meat; the coyote eats plants and animals. | rodents, rabbits, large ground birds and sometimes small deer or reptiles | mice, rabbits, insects, berries and fruit |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | forests, semi-deserts, mountains and brushland across North America | nearly all of North America, from deserts and forests to big cities |
Which one? Bobcat or coyote
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the bobcat or the coyote yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
10 things to know about Bobcat vs Coyote
- The bobcat: A wild cat of North America with a short tail.
- The coyote: A clever wild dog whose yips and howls fill the night.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are mammals.
- The bobcat is about twice as long as the coyote: 1 against 2.
- The coyote weighs about one and a half times as much as the bobcat. That is 1 for the bobcat and 2 for the coyote.
- The bobcat usually lives about twice as long as the coyote. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bobcat and 2 for the coyote.
- The bobcat eats rodents, rabbits, large ground birds and sometimes small deer or reptiles. The coyote eats mice, rabbits, insects, berries and fruit.
- The bobcat lives in forests, semi-deserts, mountains and brushland across North America. The coyote lives in nearly all of North America, from deserts and forests to big cities. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The bobcat: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The coyote: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🐆 Bobcat
- A bobcat lives in forests, deserts and mountains.
- It is named for its short, bobbed tail.
- It eats mostly rodents and rabbits.
🐺 Coyote
- A coyote can hear a mouse moving under the snow.
- A few coyotes together can sound like a whole pack howling.
- Coyotes sometimes team up with badgers to hunt.
Questions kids ask about Bobcat and Coyote
Which is heavier, bobcat or coyote?
The coyote weighs about one and a half times as much as the bobcat. That is 1 for the bobcat and 2 for the coyote.
Which lives longer, bobcat or coyote?
The bobcat usually lives about twice as long as the coyote. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bobcat and 2 for the coyote.
What do bobcat and coyote eat?
The bobcat eats rodents, rabbits, large ground birds and sometimes small deer or reptiles. The coyote eats mice, rabbits, insects, berries and fruit.
Where do bobcat and coyote live?
The bobcat lives in forests, semi-deserts, mountains and brushland across North America. The coyote lives in nearly all of North America, from deserts and forests to big cities. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do bobcats eat coyotes?
The bobcat eats rodents, rabbits, large ground birds and sometimes small deer or reptiles. Coyotes are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, bobcat or coyote?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/bobcat-vs-coyote
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Lynx rufus (bobcat), checked 10 November 2026.
- National Park Service, Yellowstone, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.