VERO BEACH, Fla. – It's a picture that could be used as the inspiration for a new SyFy Channel monster-mash thriller movie.
But it's real. Or so believes the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The photo of a bobcat walking along the beach with a shark in its mouth is as astounding to see as it is to believe.
John Bailey snapped the photo Monday while walking in Sebastian Inlet State Park in Vero Beach and sent it to Local 6 News partner WPLG-TV in Miami.
The photographer said he noticed the bobcat staring at a shark that was feeding on a smaller fish. The bobcat then leaped into the ocean, caught the shark and dragged it onto the beach.
"Initially, it was pretty quick," Bailey said. "Spotted it, pulled it up (and) the shark floundered for a while."
Once the bobcat saw the beachgoer, it dropped the 4-foot shark and ran into the nearby woods.
"I was so fascinated. I didn't think about being in danger," Bailey said.
FWC spokeswoman Liz Barraco said wildlife officials believe the picture to be legitimate and they were "very excited to see it."