Elusive predator caught on trail camera going in for kill in Florida. ‘Wildest clips’
Seeing a bobcat in the wild in Florida is a rare occurrence. The elusive cats hunt under the cover of darkness and stick to thick patches of shrubs and swamps.
But thanks to a trail camera, one Floridian got to see a bobcat in its element — as a predator.
Matt Hathaway, from Flagler Beach, has a trail camera set up to capture wildlife in his area, he told WOFL.
On Feb. 25, he decided to check the footage from the past week or so and saw something he had never seen before.
A bobcat walks into the frame from the brush and then hunkers down on the ground, a video shared by Hathaway on Facebook shows.
The bobcat lays flat and silent in the dark as a deer slowly walks toward it, the video shows.
Then the cat pounces.
“This has to be one of the wildest clips we’ve caught on our trail cams,” Hathaway said in the Facebook post.
As the cat flies through the air, the deer lowers its head and dodges the attack, the video shows, causing both animals to scurry to safety and head back out into the darkness.
“We’ve got a lot of wildlife video over the years, but nothing like that,” Hathaway told WOFL. “I don’t think this bobcat is going to try to attack a deer. And sure enough, he did.”
Bobcats typically hunt for squirrels, rabbits and rats, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, but they’ve been known to branch out to other mammals.
The furry creatures are about double the size of a domestic cat, FWC says, and they are identifiable by their tan bodies, black-spotted legs and “bobbed” tail.
“Bobcats are stealthy animals and not often seen even though their numbers are abundant. Catching even a fleeting glimpse of this secretive and beautiful creature can make anyone’s outdoor experience more enjoyable,” FWC said.
Flagler Beach is about 70 miles south of Jacksonville.
This story was originally published February 28, 2024 at 2:33 PM with the headline "Elusive predator caught on trail camera going in for kill in Florida. ‘Wildest clips’."
