The findings were documented in the Everglades National Park, where bobcats are native. Burmese pythons, however, arrived in the Everglades unnaturally and are considered an “invasive” species, having been set loose from breeding facilities in the 1980s and 1990s.
Since living within the Everglades, the snakes have caused a 90 percent decline in native mammal populations. Scientists are concerned they will take prey away from other native predators.
Photos captured by camera traps set up by the USGS in June 2021 are the first-ever documentation of a native Everglades animal preying on the eggs and facing the serpent head-on.
Scientists said this is a positive sign the ecosystem is learning to become resilient against the invasive species.
In the photomontage, a bobcat can be seen destroying the unguarded python nest over several days. Eventually, the bobcat returns to the spot only to find that the female python had come back to the nest.
The bobcat attempts to make its way around the snake several times however the female snake, sensing danger, lunges at the animal. It is the first time the two species have been documented antagonizing each other.
Just over two hours later, biologists saw the Burmese python return to the site noting the poor condition of her nest—a large portion of the eggs were no longer going to hatch.
Over the next few weeks, the camera captured a bobcat investigating the site and scavenging the remaining destroyed eggs.
Dr. Andrea Currylow, the USGS ecologist who lead the research, told National Geographic that something like this is “so exciting.”
“The native species are learning, they’re adapting, [and] they’re able to be more resilient to an invasive species,” she said. “Luckily, [the python] wasn’t interested in eating…But man, that’s a brave bobcat.”
Bobcats are known to eat reptile eggs, but not this particular species of snake.
Burmese pythons are nonvenomous constrictor snakes. They can sometimes reach lengths of 26 feet, and weigh more than 200 pounds. They are usually native to India and China. The snakes stay on their nests to protect them from predators and only tend to leave for feeding purposes.
A Burmese python fighting a nest invader, like this bobcat, is rarely seen in the wild. As they do not leave their clutch of eggs often, opportunities for other animals to prey on the eggs are rare.
