Watch an Impossibly Rare Coyote and Bobcat Sighting at Once

Key Points:

• The territories of bobcats and coyotes often overlap. As they are both carnivores, they hunt some of the same prey like rodents, squirrels, birds, and rabbits.
• In the featured video, a coyote and a bobcat cross paths. Observing that the coyote has buried some kind of prey, the bobcat approaches to check it out.
• Sensing its prey may get stolen, the coyote exits with it in its mouth, while the bobcat appears to follow from afar.

It is strange to see two incredible creatures at the same time, but this is what Diane Wilder witnessed outside of her back window. After seeing the coyote when she peered out of her back window, she quickly took out her phone to record and capture a rare sighting between a single coyote and a bobcat.

Watch the Video of a Chance Encounter Between a Coyote and a Bobcat!

A Coyote and a Bobcat Cross Paths

Amongst the trees and snow in the video, the coyote was filmed carrying something in its mouth, likely some sort of prey that it caught. Following closely behind the coyote was a bobcat who was watching the coyote underneath a tree. The coyote began digging a hole in the snow and dirt to bury its prey and then shoved dirt into the hole with its nose. As he finished, the coyote turned around and spotted the bobcat watching him from underneath the tree.

The coyote was startled by the bobcat who then went to dig up the coyote’s prey. When the coyote walked behind the bobcat to sniff it, he jumped back but didn’t take any interest as he then went to lie down under another tree. The bobcat didn’t seem to want whatever the coyote had buried, as it begins to walk away up the hill.

Soon after the coyote noticed the bobcat’s interest and discovered that his hiding place was not secretive enough to hide his prey, the coyote picked it up once again and walked off with the bobcat following from a distance. It is unclear what the bobcat’s fascination with the coyote’s prey was since the bobcat wasn’t interested in it once they dug it up. The bobcat only seemed interested in the coyote’s prey when it was being carried by the coyote, and not when it was left unattended in a hole, which is quite strange.

Why Was the Bobcat Following the Coyote?

Bobcats and coyotes will occasionally run into each other, especially in North America. This can cause some conflict between the two species, especially since it is possible that the coyote will kill any bobcats that enter their territory because they see them as competition and a threat.

The coyote was burying the prey to eat later, which is a common behavior shown by many canines. However, the coyote’s sense of smell is not stronger than a bobcat, which has an excellent smell and can detect the coyote first. Both are equally strong predators, with the coyote’s speed and the bobcat’s agility.

The bobcat was likely following the coyote because they were interested in the food, or they were curious about the coyote’s behavior. It is unclear if the bobcat was food-motivated since he left the coyote’s prey alone.

This encounter shows that even though bobcats and coyotes are believed to fight if they come across each other, the coyote seemed to take no interest in the bobcat and didn’t even act as if the bobcat was a threat. The bobcat was likely in for more trouble if it was to follow the coyote back to its pack and enter the coyote’s territory.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Mircea Costina/Shutterstock.com

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