Photos of a bobcat in Emily Johnson’s Duluth Heights backard sent/posted to @Northernnewsnow prompted a significant number of comments about other bobcat sightings in and near Duluth.
Emily told KBJR that the bobcat eventually chased some birds into the woods and left.
Bobcats are the most common wildcat in Minnesota, with the Minnesota DNR estimating roughly 2,000 living primarily across northern Minnesota forests and wooded areas. They are typically elusive and rarely seen, though sightings near neighborhoods can increase when prey like rabbits, squirrels, birds, and deer are nearby. According to wildlife experts, bobcats pose very little danger to humans and attacks are extremely rare. Small pets, however, can be vulnerable if left unattended outdoors.
The bobcat is named for its “bob” tail, which looks as though it has been cut off at about 5 inches long. It easily climbs trees and is one of the few predators known to sometimes hunt porcupines.
Length: Adults are 26 to 36 inches long, plus a 4- to 7-inch tail.
Weight: Adult females weigh 20 to 25 pounds, and adult males about 30 pounds.
Photos and Comments posted on the Northern News Now Facebook Post:
Chana Stocke commented, “I wonder if there is more than one. I saw one on Orange St this afternoon on my way down to Observation Hill.”
Cougar Mountain Lion Visit Duluth December 2025
The bobcat is much smaller than the cougar/mountain lion(s) spotted in Duluth last December. Adult cougars can weigh 80 to 200+ pounds, stand 2 to 3 feet tall at the shoulder, and stretch nearly 8 feet long including their tail. Unlike bobcats, cougars are not believed to have a breeding population in Minnesota, though young males occasionally roam into the state from western populations.
See Destination Duluth Facebook post of cougars as well as a video, and another cougar sighting in an alley in Lincoln Park
More information on Northern MN Bobcat and Cougars
Find more information about Bobcats and Cougars at Minnesota DNR Bobcat Information
and Minnesota DNR Cougar Information:
Moose on the loose
Duluth has even had a few moose roam through town, like the time when a bull moose visited the Lester Park playground with kids and parents just a few feet away:
Mama bear and cubs in a den in West Duluth
Last April, Destination Duluth contributing photographer Tim Mlodozyniec came across a bear’s den just off 40th Ave W in West Duluth.
