This is a rare shot of the Florida Bobcat taken in the Guana Reserve. 
Sunday morning offered up one the most elusive and beautiful animals (at least for me) that resides in our maritime forest, the Florida Bobcat. As I was wondering some small trails and marshes of the wildlife preserve, I literately walked up on a large bobcat near the side of a trail staring directly at me.  At first I couldn%u2019t believe my eyes, and he too, seemed as startled by my early morning presence. As its tail flickered back and fourth, my first reaction was to get on the ground and shoot as many photos as I could, knowing that he would quickly dart back into the scrub forest, but to my amazement, he was more interested in chasing a few butterflies that fluttered about, so I watched this cat go back and forth stalking these little creatures. In one final moment of defiance, he laid sprawled on the sandy trail and looked right at me, then as quick he was gone. The wild cat%u2019s photos are still being analyzed by GMTNERR%u2019s Jake FitzRoy, whose has through knowledge of our area%u2019s animal species for confirmation as to the sex, etc. Speculation is that it%u2019s a male cat, approximately 25lbs, and about 3ft long, not including his short tail. %u201CEach adult maintains and defends an intrasexually exclusive home range%u201D according to Bobcat Ecology; a research, conservation, and ecology website. Meaning, the male and female cats will not allow others of the same sex within their territories. Male cats have a home range of about 4900 acres, females of 2900 acres, and the GTMNERR has approximately 11500 /- this would only leave a few cats within this territory, making them a rare site indeed. Technical data;Canon 50d, exposure 1/400 f3.5 at 300mm, ISO 250 GPS coordinates:30 2 6 n  81 20 19 w
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/36703550@N00">Craig ONeal</a>
CC BY 2.0
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/36703550@N00/3690692701/">Florida Bobcat</a>