Just one wild cat lives in Illinois — the bobcat — but elsewhere in its range, the bobcat can be confused with another species: the Canada lynx.

Confusion between the two is understandable because they are closely related, both belonging to the Lynx genus of wild cats. They also share many behaviors and look similar to the untrained eye.

In many places, geography alone can be enough to distinguish between the two because bobcats have a much wider range than Canada lynx. The bobcat can be found across much of North America, from southern Canada all the way to southern Mexico, according to Animal Diversity Web. Canada lynx live primarily across Canada but can also be found in Idaho, Montana and Washington, and some populations may also live in New England, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming. 

Physically, these two cats share many features, including the two trademark features of the lynx family of cats: bobbed tails (this is why bobcats are called bobcats) and tufts of fur on the tips of their ears. Bobcats and Canada lynx are also similar in size, but bobcats are slightly smaller. They are the smallest cat in the Lynx family. Bobcats typically weigh between 8 pounds and 33 pounds, while the Canada lynx weigh between 10 pounds and 38 pounds, Animal Diversity Web reports. 

The fur of both these cats can vary in color, but bobcats are generally brown or buff colored with dark spots and stripes on some of their fur. Lynx are usually lighter in color, typically a shade of yellowish-brown. Some lynx also have dark spots on their coats, but bobcats generally have more markings on their fur.

Although these cats are similar in appearance, there are a few physical features that can serve as identifiers. For starters, the back legs of the Canada lynx are noticeably longer than their front legs, and this makes them appear stooped, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. A Canada lynx's paws are also much larger — at least twice as big.

Another difference in their paws — albeit one that isn't easily observable — is furry soles that the Canada lynx has that the bobcat does not, according to the San Diego Zoo. Those furry paws help the cats with traction as they traverse slippery landscapes. 

If you can get a good look, their tails can also be a distinguishing feature. While a Canada lynx's tail is tipped in black, a bobcat's has a white tip. In addition, their tails are barred from the top but mostly white underneath, Vermont Fish & Wildlife reports.

Both bobcats and Canada lynx are solitary animals, and both are primarily active at night, when they hunt for prey, Animal Diversity Web reports. Both are strictly carnivorous, so keen hunting skills are important. Bobcats hunt rabbits, rodents, small deer, ground birds and sometimes reptiles. Canada lynx have a similar diet, but their predominant food source is the snowshoe hare. In some areas where the hares are populous, the lynx exclusively eat snowshoe hares.

Both cats hunt by quietly stalking their prey and then pouncing on it. Once caught, they kill their catch by biting into the neck to snap the vertebrae. 

Because they have such a vast range, bobcats can inhabit many different types of habitat, including forests, mountains, deserts and open land. The Canada lynx most often lives in mature forests, but they can also be found living in tundra or in rocky landscapes, Animal Diversity Web reports. 

In all, four cats belong to the lynx family. In addition to the Canada lynx and bobcat, which is sometimes called the lynx cat, bay lynx or wildcat, there are the Eurasian lynx and the Spanish lynx, which is also called the Iberian lynx.

The European lynx is the most widespread of the four and can be found in 46 countries in Europe, northern Asia and the Middle East, the San Diego Zoo reports. These cats have long legs and large paws to help them navigate through snowy terrain, and they mostly eat deer and other hooved animals.

The Spanish lynx is the most rare of the four species and might be the most rare of all the wild cats in the world. It lives only in Spain and Portugal. It has shorter, more coarse hair than other lynx because it lives in a more mild climate, the zoo reports. Their primary food source is rabbits, but they also eat ducks and other birds because they inhabit areas where millions of birds gather each spring and fall during their migrations.