Photo: Florida Bobcat Pulls Shark Right Out of the Ocean
OutdoorHub Reporters 04.08.15
Bobcats have a reputation for being skilled fishers, but sharks are generally not on their dinner plate. The picture below, sent in to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), shows one of the felines pulling what appears to be a three-foot Atlantic sharpnose shark out of the water.
Posted by MyFWC on Tuesday, April 7, 2015
“What do you call a wildcat fishing for shark? One mighty brazen bobcat!” the FWC posted on their Facebook page. “This is a tale (no insult intended to the bobbed bobcat tail) of prey upon prey upon prey. John Bailey, who took this amazing picture, spotted a bobcat staring into the water at Sebastian Inlet State Park last evening while he was taking a stroll. He realized the cat was transfixed on a shark feeding on smaller fish. Suddenly, the bobcat leaped into the water atop the shark and dragged it ashore! Bailey took the photo and the cat dropped its catch and ran into the forest.”
With bobcats being how they are, it’s likely that the predator came back for the shark after the coast was clear. Understandably, some people have questioned the authenticity of the photograph, or whether the cat was a bobcat at all. From its size and long stubby tail, some have speculated that the feline was actually an elusive Florida panther. Biologists, however, insist that the animal is indeed a bobcat. As for how often bobcats catch sharks, the FWC replied jokingly, “P.S. There are no shark fishing regulations for bobcats. Just people.”
