The Bobcat (*Lynx rufus*) is a medium-sized wild cat native to North America, ranging from southern Canada through the U.S. into Mexico, recognizable by its tawny to grayish-brown coat with dark spots or streaks, tufted ears, prominent facial ruff, and short, "bobbed" tail that gives it its name; a highly adaptable and elusive predator, it thrives in forests, deserts, swamps, and even suburban edges, hunting mainly at dawn and dusk for rabbits, rodents, and birds using a stealthy stalk-and-pounce style, and while solitary and territorial by nature, it remains one of the most widespread and successful wild cat species in North America today.