Watch This Squirrel Brilliantly Dance Around a Tiny Tree to Evade a Frisky Bobcat

This incredible footage captured in a backyard shows just how sneaky squirrels can be. This rodent thought that it could escape a predator by leaping up a tree but it made a massive misjudgment. The predator was a bobcat who had some pretty good climbing skills itself. Just as the bobcat makes a final lunge, the squirrel makes a split-second decision and dives back down the tree. This gives the squirrel plenty of time to race across the paving slabs and into the undergrowth. Meanwhile, the bobcat finds out that even though it can climb trees pretty quickly it’s not so fast at getting back down them. Superb tactics by the squirrel!

Watch the Action Now

Where Do Bobcats Normally Live?

Bobcats are also called bay lynx and are colloquially known as ‘wildcats’ but their scientific name is Lynx rufus. They are a native species of North America and they are widespread from southern Canada to southern Mexico. Their range also extends into northern Canada but they are not found in Delaware.

When it comes to habitat, they are able to live in a wide variety of environments. You will often spot them in forests including tropical forests in Florida. They are also found in shrubland, grassland, desert, and semi-desert. You can even spot them in coastal marshes and swamps. Some bobcats are seen in agricultural areas if there is sufficient vegetation cover for them to hide. They prefer to avoid roads, large areas cultivated for agriculture, and urban areas. However, as you can see here, they do occasionally show up in backyards!

What Do Bobcats Normally Eat?

Bobcats are carnivores and mainly feed on small mammals. Their typical diet is made up of rabbits and hares, especially cottontail rabbits and snowshoe hares. When rabbits are scarce, they will focus on other mammals. This includes squirrels as we see here! However, you will also find bobcats pursuing rats, mice, and voles. Some bobcats are able to target deer fawns. Others are able to catch porcupines and opossums.

These guys are opportunistic hunters and usually hunt their prey on the ground. It is actually quite rare for a bobcat to climb a tree to hunt so we are very lucky to be able to see this particular footage. They are solitary hunters who search areas thoroughly for prey and are very good at checking out small mammal hiding places. They have excellent eyesight and hearing which helps them to locate the prey. Their tactic is to wait and then pursue the target with a burst of speed. As we see in this clip, that only works if they manage to outwit the victim!