Distribution: widespread in Louisiana; widely distributed across the U.S., excluding central farming areas and the urban eastern sea coast

Habitat: heavily forested areas, swamps, bottomland hardwoods; dens in thick vegetation

Appearance: between a domestic cat and a cougar in size; average adult length is 25 to 30 inches (tail is 6 inches); weight 15-20 pounds; reddish or yellowish brown streaked and spotted with black

Reproduction: wails and screams during breeding season; breeds in mid to late winter; 2-3 young; gestation of 62 days

Food habits: rabbits, mice, rats, squirrels, small birds, young livestock

Habits: good tree-climbers; curious

Controls: adults rarely preyed upon; juveniles may be vulnerable to male bobcats, coyotes, eagles and fisher; vulnerable to rabies, feline distemper, mange, tapeworms, lice and bubonic plaque

Values: help to stabilize rabbit populations