Twilight hunter

The bobcat is a native North American animal. It looks like a domestic house cat in many ways, but the most obvious difference is its bobbed tail. An adult bobcat is about 4 feet long from nose to the tip of its tail.

Bobcats are not often seen during daylight hours. They love hunting for food in the twilight zones of dusk and dawn. This does not mean they can't be seen during the day. Very cold days and hunger may cause a bobcat to hunt for food during the day. Bobcats are predatory and eat mostly small animals such as rabbits, squirrels, mice and frogs. They also prey on songbirds, geese, ducks and free range chickens.

A friend has allowed me to use this nice photo which he took during our recent very cold weather. An adult male bobcat may have a home range of about five square miles. The female's home range is about half as big.

AARON HORRELL is owner of Painted Wren Art Gallery in Cape Girardeau. He is a Bollinger County native.