Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates/Bobcat

• Support
  • This article reads very scholarly, and I'd like to see more wikilinking, especially on terms that may be unfamiliar to some.
    • I will do this myself if I don't hear back otherwise.
  • Should the physical description section compare it to a house cat to get people more familiar with it's size?
  • Do they have slitted pupils?
  • The physical description section doesn't flow well, though it may not be able to due to its purpose
  • I believe "Social structure and home range" should be further up in the article, specifically before reproduction.
  • I believe Lynx-Bobcat Hybridization is worth mentioning.

-Ravedave 05:11, 29 June 2007 (UTC)

• • The size comparison to the house cat was actually shuffled out of Physical description into the lead, where you'll find it now. It gives people a mental image off the top. Chronic took care of hybridization and the pupils. I shuffled the Social structure to the top of the behaviour section; arguably, it makes most sense to start with it and it follows from the para on activity times. Physical description sections are often a little choppy because you have to shove a lot of numbers in there. You can suggest a specific rearrangement, if you like. I'll look for more wikilinks of good value. Marskell 14:08, 29 June 2007 (UTC)
  • Added small para on ecological role. Marskell 14:24, 29 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the prompt fix. I'll try and check it out tonight. -Ravedave 17:47, 29 June 2007 (UTC)

• Thanks! I wikilinked what I thought was needed. However there were some things I missed the 1st pass:
  • "By September or October, sperm production begins, and the male will be fertile into the summer.". This makes it sound like male Bobcats only produce sperm during certain parts of the year?
  • "The Bobcat has few predators other than man. " - the article then goes on to list 2 predators for the adults and five for the kittens. For a predator it actually seems like it has a lot of predators, and not far removed from deer. I would imagine bears could also dispatch a bobcat if they wanted.
  • "...showed yearly survival rates averaged 0.62..." - I think these numbers would be better stated in %s
  • I think the section on lifespan, should start with their lifespan

-Ravedave 06:04, 30 June 2007 (UTC)

• • Re the predator bit, a distinction needs to be made between being preyed upon in the true sense and simply being killed by another predator. Predators do not actively prey upon one another when they are anywhere near the same size because the cost/benefit is bad (e.g. lions kill hyenas, but they do not prey upon them). Anyhow, I've tweaked. I'll try to look at the other stuff. Marskell 08:53, 1 July 2007 (UTC)
  • I believe the paper supporting the spermatogenesis is here. I'll try to get to it soon. Marskell 07:30, 3 July 2007 (UTC)
    • So you are saying that they only produce sperm in the summer? If thats true than it should be made clearer, becasue that is an unusual trait as far as I know.-Ravedave 03:51, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

Here's another source which agrees with the claim, although it says they're never completely devoid of sperm. Beyond that I don't know how the article could be any clearer in what it's saying. Also I think you've misread the article if you're saying "they only produce sperm in the summer." And I'm still unsure as to why you're opposing at this point. --Chroniclev 05:06, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

The sentence was obviously not clear, I have corrected it since you clarified, and now support. I don't just hand out supports like candy, sorry. -Ravedave 05:23, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

Well Ok. I didn't say you had to support but you were being ambiguous as to why you were opposing. --Chroniclev 05:47, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

Ravedave's clarification does seem helpful. Marskell 07:43, 4 July 2007 (UTC)