🐆 Bobcat vs Red fox 🦊
The bobcat and the red fox are about the same size. The bobcat weighs about twice as much as the red fox.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐆 Bobcat | 🦊 Red fox |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 30 in to 4.1 ft76 cm to 1.2 m1 | 3.6 ft1.1 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The bobcat weighs about twice as much as the red fox. | 8.8 to 33 lb4 to 15 kg1 | 9 to 11 lb4.1 to 5 kg3 |
| Lives The bobcat usually lives about 3 times as long as the red fox. | 12 years12 years1 | 3 to 4 years3 to 4 years4 |
| Eats The bobcat eats meat; the red fox eats plants and animals. | rodents, rabbits, large ground birds and sometimes small deer or reptiles | mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | forests, semi-deserts, mountains and brushland across North America | most of the Northern Hemisphere, from forests and farms to city parks |
Which one? Bobcat or red fox
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the bobcat or the red fox 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 Red fox
- The bobcat: A wild cat of North America with a short tail.
- The red fox: A red fox can hear a mouse squeaking under deep snow.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are mammals.
- The bobcat and the red fox are about the same size: 2 against 1.
- The bobcat weighs about twice as much as the red fox. That is 1 for the bobcat and 3 for the red fox.
- The bobcat usually lives about 3 times as long as the red fox. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bobcat and 4 for the red fox.
- The bobcat eats rodents, rabbits, large ground birds and sometimes small deer or reptiles. The red fox eats mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries.
- The bobcat lives in forests, semi-deserts, mountains and brushland across North America. The red fox lives in most of the Northern Hemisphere, from forests and farms to city parks. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The bobcat: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
- The red fox: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 6
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.
🦊 Red fox
- A red fox has pupils shaped like slits, like a cat's.
- Red fox kits are born with brownish-gray fur, and the red coat comes later.
- Red foxes live in cities, forests, farms and even deserts.
Questions kids ask about Bobcat and Red fox
Which is heavier, bobcat or red fox?
The bobcat weighs about twice as much as the red fox. That is 1 for the bobcat and 3 for the red fox.
Which lives longer, bobcat or red fox?
The bobcat usually lives about 3 times as long as the red fox. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bobcat and 4 for the red fox.
What do bobcat and red fox eat?
The bobcat eats rodents, rabbits, large ground birds and sometimes small deer or reptiles. The red fox eats mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries.
Where do bobcat and red fox live?
The bobcat lives in forests, semi-deserts, mountains and brushland across North America. The red fox lives in most of the Northern Hemisphere, from forests and farms to city parks. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do bobcats eat red foxes?
The bobcat eats rodents, rabbits, large ground birds and sometimes small deer or reptiles. Red foxes are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, bobcat or red fox?
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-red-fox
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.
- National Park Service (The Clever Red Fox), checked 30 October 2026.
- USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.