A Massive Pelican Gets Fed Up With a Pestering Cat and Tries to Eat the Feline!

When it comes to fine dining, pelicans typically stick to seafood. These oversized, beach-loving birds are super social, but they’re not about to share their meal with anyone else, especially a cat. In this YouTube video, a giant, rather grumpy pelican finally loses its cool with a curious cat that just won’t quit — and even tries to eat the furry feline!

What Do Pelicans Normally Eat?

Pelicans live in warm and tropical areas close to water; you can often see them hanging out together on docks and beaches. They are very social and usually stick together in flocks or colonies.

One of the most recognizable things about pelicans is their enormous beak and stretchy pouch underneath — no other bird has anything quite like it! When they get hot, pelicans can open their beaks and flap the pouch to cool down, like using their own built-in fan. Pelicans also scoop up fish with their pouch, which works like like a large fishing net. They even have a sharp hook on the end of their beak to help snag extra slippery fish. After catching a fish, the birds tilt their heads to drain any water from the pouch and then swallow their meal whole.

While fish are their main prey, pelicans are opportunistic and are pretty good at grabbing other small critters like frogs, lizards, and crabs. But unlike many popular cartoon depictions, pelicans don’t actually carry food around in their pouches — they prefer to eat it right away.

How Pelicans Defend Themselves

Pelicans are really big seabirds. Most pelican species weigh between 10 and 15 pounds, stand about 4 to 5 feet tall, and have wingspans ranging from 6 to 10 feet. The largest species, such as the Dalmatian pelican, can reach up to 26 pounds and have wingspans over 11 feet. Their size alone serves as an excellent deterrent against potential predators and other threats.

Besides their impressive size, pelicans also use their large bills to defend themselves. The top part of their beak has sharp edges, almost like a knife. When threatened, a pelican will snap its beak or bite until the danger goes away. Pelicans also have a sharp hook at the end of their beak, which can serve as a useful weapon against threats.

There aren’t many animals that would hunt an adult pelican, but young birds and their eggs are vulnerable. Animals like eagles, gulls, coyotes, and raccoons sometimes hunt baby pelicans or steal eggs from their nests.

Instinct vs. Size

While a pelican can certainly protect itself, or at least scare off potential threats, cats are a whole different story. If you’ve ever owned a cat, you know they tend to do their own thing. So, even though the pelican in this YouTube video is much larger and appears more threatening than the little cat, the cat doesn’t seem terribly concerned. When the pelican finally gets fed up and tries to bite the cat, the cat gracefully jumps out of reach and continues on its way as if nothing happened.

Is it normal for a cat to stalk animals larger than itself? Absolutely! While they don’t hunt larger animals, cats are wired to spot movement and then stalk, chase, and pounce. Even if a cat has plenty of food, it will still stalk and chase things due to its strong hunting instinct, territorial nature, innate curiosity, and even just for fun. This is especially true if a cat is young or hasn’t had a lot of experience; its feline predatory drive can be so strong that it ignores the fact that the other animal is much larger.