Bobcat shown stalking raccoons in surreal nighttime footage

A trail camera in suburban Colorado has captured footage of a large bobcat stalking raccoons at night in a narrow passageway.

“Raccoons are some of a bobcat’s favorite meals, due to their small size and lack of an effective defense system,” Twitter user Suzanne Dickerson explained in her video description.

At 13 seconds, before the bobcat saunters into view, the nearest raccoon scurries forward as if trying to escape the threat. (Footage of the raccoons is shown at four times the normal speed; the bobcat is shown at normal speed.)

The Raccoonobahn had a rather large looking bobcat (male?) at 02:19am.

Video 4x normal speed except bobcat at normal speed.

Raccoons are some of a bobcat’s favorite meals, due to their small size and lack of an effective defense system. pic.twitter.com/foFdtZRJWQ

— sue (@CameraTrapSue) March 10, 2023

Dickerson routinely tweets footage of raccoons and other critters passing through this area, which she refers to as the Racoonobahn.

Asked by a follower how many raccoons use the Racoonobahn, Dickerson answered: “I’m guessing we have 10-13 raccoons around here based on different cameras. Some or all use the Raccoonobahn each evening.”

Her pinned tweet shows a skunk using a rock to break ice in a water bowl to access water below the ice. Images from that sequence were used in a scientific paper about tool-use by striped skunks.

–Image is a video screen shot