COCOA BEACH, Fla. – A beach bobcat is patrolling the sand dunes south of Cocoa Beach, emerging near dusk to hunt for prey.
That's where Sara Hanlon and her surprised husband first spotted an elusive bobcat just before dark on March 31, according to News 6 partner Florida
Today.
Recommended Videos
"We were actually watching a rabbit — which was ironic, because it was the night before Easter. So we were commenting on that. And out of nowhere, up along the beach you see a bobcat coming up the walkway," Hanlon recalled.
"And then it just took off, sprinting after the rabbit. The rabbit ran off and made it," she said.
[RELATED: Headless alligator found in Rockledge neighborhood, FWC says | Tortoise found spray-painted red near Orlando]
Then about 7 p.m. Monday, the couple glimpsed a bobcat and documented the rare encounter in a series of photos and videos. Hanlon posted a few on Facebook, which have generated thousands of reactions, shares and comments in Brevard County Facebook groups, Florida Today reported.
"They seem very hungry, is what I would say. I think it was a different one than we saw the first time," Hanlon said.
Bobcats typically roam a 1- to 2-mile territory in urban and suburban areas, establishing dens in dense saw palmetto and shrub, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports. The large felines eat squirrels, rabbits, rats, feral cats and ground-dwelling birds.