Wile E. Coyote is one of a duo of cartoon characters (along with the Road Runner) from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. In each episode, the cunning, insidious and constantly hungry Coyote repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempts to catch and subsequently eat the Road Runner, a fast-running ground bird. Instead of his animal instincts, Coyote uses absurdly complex contraptions to try to catch his prey, which comically backfire, with Coyote often getting injured in slapstick fashion.