Pythons are massive reptiles, especially compared to bobcats… that cat should be careful with this one.
Bobcats are a type of wild cat that is native to North America. These cats are relatively small, typically weighing between 15 and 35 pounds and measuring up to 3 feet in length. Despite their small size, bobcats are skilled hunters and are able to take down prey much larger than themselves. Their diet consists of a variety of animals, including rodents, birds and even the occasional deer.
Burmese pythons are large constrictor snakes that are native to Southeast Asia. These snakes were introduced to the Everglades in the 1980s, likely as a result of escaped or released pets. Since then, the python population in the Everglades has exploded, causing significant ecological damage. These snakes can grow to be quite large, with some individuals reaching lengths of over 20 feet and weighing over 200 pounds. Their diet consists of a variety of mammals, including rodents, rabbits, and even deer. Pythons have been known to prey on a variety of other species in the Everglades, including alligators.
Female pythons lay their eggs in nests that they construct in burrows or other sheltered areas. These nests can contain dozens of eggs, which are incubated by the female until they hatch. Once the eggs hatch, the baby pythons are on their own and must fend for themselves.
As the python population in the Everglades has grown, there has been concern about the impact that these snakes are having on other species in the ecosystem. With more pythons around, bobcats are bound to have run ins.
This bobcat came across a python nest and he decided to enjoy it. He is seen getting into the eggs laid on the ground. The cat comes back more than once checking out the nest and getting in it. But eventually, it comes face-to-face with the mother python one afternoon as it sat on its nest. They pair of predators have a stare off but neither makes a move. They challenge each other, but stay clear.
Nature always has the craziest interactions and Florida is always home to some of the best.
Bobcat Squares Off With Rattlesnake
This felt like a high level boxing match.
Both sides were quick. One side had the size advantage but it was matched by the other’s one-strike power.
A match up for the ages, but one must prevail, and this time size was victorious.
A bobcat and a rattlesnake squared up in Angeles National Forest in Arcadia, California in just the right spot to be captured on a trail cam, and it’s one of the best displays of the insane reaction time of cats, especially wild ones.
Rattlesnakes strike at about 10 feet per second, which doesn’t seem very fast, but when you realize they can hit your hand from a foot away in a tenth of a second, you start to realize it’s scary fast…
But even more impressively, the bobcat is able to dodge every single attack thrown out by the snake and secure a win with a combination of strikes and one well placed bite.
Safe to say it wasn’t the first time he’d taken out a rattlesnake, and judging by the success, it won’t be the last.
Bobcat Makes Impressive Jump To Grab Flying Bird
That is one abled bobcat…
Bobcats are really nothing more than just wild house cats. The similarities in their demeanor and actions are downright hilarious.
They are a bit better at hunting than house cats but, they also don’t get fed daily by humans.
They are fierce predators who will eat anything they can get their claws and teeth into from rabbits to deer and anything in between. Using their stealth and speed to their advantage, they’re built for quick speed and jumps with very strong back legs. They can jump up to 12 feet in one leap.
This bobcat is seen in action with peak performance.
The cat attacks a bird right on someone’s home door step, and naturally, the bird tries to fly away as birds do.
The bobcat wasn’t letting that happen. It attacks with speed and seemingly defies gravity as it literally climbs up walls trying to get this bird.
It jumps all around and eventually gets the bird back to the ground. The bobcat snatches it up and walks away like a proud kitty.
Nature is simply amazing.
Burmese Python Swallows A Whole Alligator
If this doesn’t make you afraid of pythons, I don’t know what will.
There’s a lot of animals out there, all are very interesting, there are many that I definitely don’t want close encounters with, then there’s the python.
I would go to great lengths to avoid one of these beasts. They literally squeeze the life out of their prey, wrapping their long armless body around animals and increase the pressure until they suffocate.
These massive snakes average between 6 and 9 feet in Florida, but can grow much longer, especially around the world. One in Florida was recorded at a whopping 18-foot and 215-pounds, the largest ever in the state.
Pythons are not natural in Florida, however. They are considered invasive, meaning they out-compete naturally occurring species. They are such a large problem that they have actually killed a ton of wildlife in the areas they reside, and have no natural predators.
And in the Everglades, where you can find them now, they have built quite the population.
They will eat nearly anything, much like a gator. Except inside of having a hard bite, they have the ability to displace their jaw and fit their whole mouth around their kill.
Watching this happen is almost unbelievable.
This python shows us how dangerous they are as he squeezes the life out of an alligator in Florida.
The gator is not particularly large, but it is still a gator.
The snake then proceeds to swallow the gator whole.
When I think of eating an animal whole, not that I would ever do it, I would guess an alligator would be tough to do so with its tough skin. Something with fur might be a little bit easier going down.
This snake is hungry though and couldn’t care less… this meal will hold it over for quite some time.
It displaces its mouth and fits it around the whole alligator, eventually getting the whole thing inside of itself. The crazy thing is, it does it with ease.
I’ll be the first to say, gator tastes pretty good, but this is downright crazy.
