Final answer:
Without the specific phylogenetic tree mentioned, we cannot definitively say which species is closest to the bobcat. However, the jaguarundi, leopards, snow leopard, and tiger all belong to the family Felidae and hence are all closely related. The jaguarundi may be inferred to be more closely related due to genus commonality, but the exact relationship would need to be confirmed by a phylogenetic analysis.
Step-by-step explanation:
To answer which species is a closer relative to bobcats without the specific phylogeny mentioned in the question, we need to rely on general principles of taxonomy and phylogenetic trees. A phylogenetic tree provides a visual representation of the evolutionary relationships among species, showing which species are more closely related based on the proximity of their branching points.
In the absence of the specific phylogenetic tree, one would generally observe where the species diverge from common ancestors. If the jaguarundi, leopards, snow leopard, and tiger are being compared to bobcats, the answer would depend on the actual structure of the tree. However, all of these animals belong to the family Felidae and thus are all closely related. Without the specific tree, one cannot definitively say which of these is the closest relative to the bobcat, and it's possible that they all share a relatively equal degree of relatedness if they diverge from the same branch point on the hypothetical tree.
Looking at general knowledge of felid taxonomy, we can infer that while all of these species share a common ancestor and have certain levels of genetic similarities, they also each have branched off at different points in evolutionary history. Generally, jaguarundis (Puma yagouaroundi) are in the same genus (Puma) as cougars, which could indicate closer relation to bobcats (Lynx rufus) in comparison to leopards (Panthera pardus), snow leopards (Panthera uncia), and tigers (Panthera tigris), which are in a different genus. But this inference should be confirmed by an explicit phylogenetic analysis.