Bobcats (Lynx rufus) have had success persisting in urban areas, but vehicle collisions are a large source of mortality. Identifying how bobcats alter behavior near roads can help wildlife managers develop management strategies to reduce mortality from vehicles. To determine how roads affect bobcat movement, we analyzed GPS data from bobcats collared by the Bobcats in Tucson Research Project using continuous-time movement analyses. Our study focused on three questions regarding bobcat movement near roads: 1. Do bobcats avoid crossing roads? 2. Do bobcats use culverts and underpasses to cross roads? 3. Does bobcat behavior change when road density increases? We found that bobcats crossed roads 11% less frequently than expected from random chance, but we found no evidence that bobcats use culverts or underpasses to cross roads or that bobcat movement behavior (i.e., speed or home range size) varies with road density. Our results suggest that managers interested in reducing bobcat mortality from vehicle collisions need to do more than simply providing crossing structures. Fences to funnel bobcats toward crossing structures, rumble strips to scare bobcats from roads, reduced speed limits, and wildlife warning signs for drivers may be effective tools to reduce bobcat mortality from vehicle collisions.

Margaret Mercer is currently studying as a Master's student at the University of Arizona. She grew up in Fresno, California and will be returning to do conservation work in the Central Valley after she graduates this May. For her thesis, she has focused on investigating how human activity impacts North America's large carnivores. She is excited to apply her analytical techniques and familiarity with camera trapping, occupancy modeling, and continuous time movement modeling to the conservation problems facing California's ecosystems.