Watch Two Bobcats Team Up to Battle a Coyote in the Middle of the Night

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It’s a snowy night and two bobcats are guarding a carcass when a scavenging coyote appears. Though these two aren’t typically rivals, when food is involved, all bets are off.

In this video, you watch as a coyote does what a coyote does and tries to snatch a meal it didn’t work for. See what happens when it encounters the two guarding bobcats.

Is it Normal Behavior for Coyotes to Hunt Bobcats?

In North America, bobcat and coyote populations may overlap but research shows they find ways to coexist. Coyotes are usually larger than bobcats, weighing somewhere between 15 and 45 pounds. Bobcats, on the other hand, weigh between nine and 33 pounds.

Bobcats are not prey to coyotes, but if faced with conflict will fight back. Though smaller, they are significantly more ferocious and move with great agility, as big cats do. In open environments, they may feel more uncomfortable as they typically ambush their prey. Neither animal hunts the other, however.

What Do Coyotes Eat?

Coyotes are scavengers, looking for any opportunity to feed. They may eat vegetables along with deer, rabbits, and insects. They may also take advantage of roadkill in populated areas and may even go after small pets like cats and dogs.

Bobcats eat similar foods to coyotes like squirrels, cats, and rabbits. They’re usually solitary and ambush their prey, choosing smaller animals over larger kills. Since coyotes hunt in packs, they can take down larger prey with their strength in numbers.

In this video, two bobcats use their strength in numbers against an opportunistic coyote. They’re both looking beyond two trees where a coyote is approaching. One of the bobcats is a bit more aggressive at first and chases after it as the other looks on, likely staying behind to guard the carcass.

You hear some commotion and growling off the screen and you watch the bobcat looking on as it hisses toward the threat. There are a few moments of silence before the coyote comes back into view. It’s aggressive as it runs toward the bobcats. One of the bobcats steadies its weight on its hind legs and lunges forward toward the coyote with its paws outstretched.

If it was a one-on-one fight, the coyote may have been even more brazen. Luckily for the two usually solitary bobcats, they were in good company that day. As the fight ceases, it gets quiet again, and the video ends.