Hate to see a squirrel zig when it should have zagged.
Out in the wild, animals (especially those considered prey) have to keep their head on a swivel. A pleasant day can quickly turn deadly if a creature doesn’t keep their guard up. The squirrel in this video was putting too must trust in its natural surroundings… and ultimately paid the price.
Bobcats might look like a slightly-above-average-sized house cat, but the wild animals are much more than that. The wild felines have heightened senses of vision, smell, and hearing, and they utilize all of those skills to track down their prey. They also don’t mind using the element of surprise to catch prey in a way where they don’t even know what hit them.
And good luck finding a more determined hunter out in the wild. Once a bobcat has its next meal in sight, the animal stops at nothing to have a successful hunt. They are well known to be excellent swimmers, and when it comes to maneuvering rocky terrain and trees, bobcats are some of the best climbers and jumpers in the animal kingdom.
Now I can’t just hype up the bobcat without giving a shoutout to the squirrel. The little rodents showcase some incredible speed and elusiveness (just ask your dog). They might be small, but they pack a big punch, and can give even the most skilled predators fits. Though the one in this video made an incredible run after not noticing a hungry big cat was luring it right into its trap, the bobcat eventually outsmarts it.
That being said, the squirrel was pulling off some Houdini-level escape ability, doing everything in its power to keep the bobcat at bay. The footage is a little hectic, but you should still be able to see that the squirrel was doing a commendable job trying to get away. It ran the big cat right into a bush, and even confused it for a moment when it jumped up on a tree and shimmied like its life defended on it… because it did. The squirrel was making all the right moves. That is, until it didn’t.
Props to the camera person for moving around and successfully capturing the whole chase down. They had a front row seat to nature taking its course in a Colorado front yard, and adapted and overcame anytime the frame of the shot needed to be modified. It took every ounce of the bobcat’s brain power to figure out the intelligent squirrel’s next move, and the person holding the camera had their hands full filming the whole thing.
If you are like me, you were probably rooting for the squirrel to pull off the great escape. Unfortunately, the squirrel ran out of moves eventually and the bobcat finally brought the rodent down in brutal fashion as it climbed up the tree and jumped back down with the small animal locked firmly in its teeth. All of the patience and hard work finally paid off for the big cat, and dinner was served.
Take a look:
