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

Written by Angie Menjivar
Updated: August 30, 2023
© Johann Knox/Shutterstock.com
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Key Points:

  • This article covers two bobcats teaming up against a coyote on trail cam footage.
  • The fight isn’t as aggressive as it could have been, however, you can sense the tension between the animals in the video.
  • While these two species’ territories may overlap from time to time, they can usually find ways to co-exist.

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.

Do Coyotes Hunt Bobcats?

Are bobcats dangerous - Bobcat
Neither bobcats nor coyotes hunt each other

©Victor Arita/Shutterstock.com

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?

Types of Wild Dogs
Opportunistic coyotes take advantage of any food they can get its paws on, including another animal’s kill.

©iStock.com/jamesvancouver

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.

Watch what happens when a scavenging coyote underestimates two smaller bobcats.

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About the Author

Angie Menjivar is a quirky cat mom with a love for books, thunderstorms, and comfy couches where she cozies up with her laptop to write her heart out. Her writing style combines engaging storytelling, vivid imagery, emotional resonance, and educational depth to create a compelling and informative reading experience for readers like you! Her passion and humor stamp her work with a voice all her own and her sense of wonder creates a fantastical narrative that allows you to explore the fascinating world of wildlife through new eyes.

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