Bobcat takes down 13-foot Burmese python in Florida, experts shocked
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It happened near Naples, Florida, in December 2022. Wildlife biologist Ian Bartoszek and his team from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida were tracking a tagged python named Loki—a 52-pound, 13-foot-long "scout snake" used to find breeding female pythons. These snakes are part of a broader effort to control the invasive Burmese python population that's wreaking havoc in Florida's delicate ecosystem.
But instead of finding Loki snuggled up with a lady python, Bartoszek stumbled upon a murder scene straight out of CSI: Wildlife Edition.
Loki was dead—head gone, neck chewed, and the severed part was buried under pine needles like some kind of ritual.
'We've been following Loki through six breeding seasons. It was kind of sad and exciting at the same time,' Bartoszek said.
So what creature could take down a monster snake like that? Bartoszek suspected a bobcat or maybe even a Florida panther. To get answers, he reached out to wild cat expert David Shindle from the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, and they set up a trail cam.
Sure enough, the very next morning, the killer returned—on camera. An adult bobcat casually strolled in to sniff around the scene, probably checking if its midnight snack was still there. And just like that, the mystery was solved.
Now here's the cool part: normally, Burmese pythons eat bobcats, not the other way around. But this time, Mother Nature had other plans.
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A cold snap had hit the area, which might've left the cold-blooded python too sluggish to defend itself. It was a golden opportunity for the bobcat, and it took it.
Bartoszek described it as a win for native predators. 'Score one for the home team,' he said. And honestly, we love to see it.
This isn't a one-time fluke either. Bartoszek's team later found another python killed during a cold snap—this time, probably by a black bear. So it looks like native predators are finally figuring out how to fight back against the python invasion.
Over time, this could be a game-changer. As Florida's ecosystem fights to rebalance itself, bobcats, bears, and other native animals are learning that pythons can be dinner—not just danger.
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