Once on the endangered species list, bobcats are growing in numbers in Iowa, leaving some researchers to wonder why the animals would repopulate a state that lacks a normal habitat.

Researchers from Iowa State and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources have been collaborating for the past two years in an effort to better understand why the population of bobcats has been on the rise in a state which largely lacks the forests they prefer to live in.

William Clark, professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology and one of the principal researchers on the project, said bobcats were probably more densely populated here many years ago before their numbers dropped. He said the growing number of these cats are expanding into other Midwestern states.

“Iowa’s landscape is unique,” he said, referring to the small, fragmented forests found throughout the state. “That’s what makes our study unique.”

Clark said researchers will be looking for basic data, such as the population level and habitat preferences of bobcats.

He said current research shows bobcats have been using the state’s grasslands and farming lands for hunting while living near large groups of trees.

Clark said he is particularly interested in whether these bobcats will spread among the major river systems in Iowa.

He said bobcats are fairly common in southern Iowa and the Loess Hills, but not in north central Iowa.

Stephanie Koehler, graduate student in ecology, evolution and organismal biology, said being able to research bobcats was a key issue that brought her to Iowa State. She has been with the research team since the beginning.

Koehler said she is particularly interested in the kitten-raising period, as there has not been much research done on bobcat denning, especially in a landscape similar to Iowa’s.

She said she has been focusing on the location of the dens, since traditional sites — rock crevices and mountains — are not present in Iowa.

May and June are the primary months for new litters, so the team will be much busier monitoring the bobcats and their kittens, Clark said.

Koehler said the thing that has most surprised her has been the fact that only seven of the original 45 bobcats have died. She said because of the number of people and the fragmented landscape, she expected a higher mortality rate.

Clark said the larger males in the study will be monitored by the Global Positioning System, which will allow researchers to have immediate results.

He said although there have been some studies done on bobcats, no study involving a landscape like Iowa’s has been done in quite a few years.

The tracking will be done via radio collar and will continue until summer 2006. Clark said he hopes to continue the study if funding continues.

There are nine counties involved in the research — Warren, Marion, Clarke, Lucas, Monroe, Decatur, Wayne and Appanoose, with Sheridan County serving as the central research station.