rfmcdonald | [CAT] "Bobcat Drags Shark Out of Florida Surf" (Reply)

Shakespeare never managed to catch any of my pet fish, not the goldfish and not the bettas. That had nothing to do with the intelligence of either the potential predator or its potential prey, I thought, but more to do with the difficulty of the cat crossing the interface from water to air. (The goldfish were smart enough to stay comfortably below the surface of the water.) My compliments, then, to the bobcat photographed by one John Bailey that, as described in National Geographic, pulled a shark out of the Florida surf. That cat has seriously impressive hunting skills. (A shame about the shark, granted.)

Many species of cats are great fishers, and bobcats are no exception. But one bobcat created an extraordinary fish tale when it pulled a shark out of the surf.

The dramatic moment was caught on camera by John Bailey in Vero Beach, Florida, Monday night, when he was walking along Sebastian Inlet State Park. Bailey has not yet responded to a request for comment but he told local media that he saw the cat fishing in the surf.

Suddenly, the cat leaped and dragged a shark three to four feet long (one meter) out of the water. Bailey photographed the action. The bobcat, seemingly startled, then ran off into the woods, leaving the shark on the beach.

Liz Barraco, a spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, says “we have no reason to believe [the photograph is] fake."

Bobcats are known to eat a variety of mammals and birds and they occasionally eat fish, notes Barraco. “But this is the first time we’ve seen them fishing in saltwater.”