This story was originally published in November, 2021.
Rose and Mark Clowes continue to marvel at what’s going on in the woods behind their home in Sidney.
You may recall their previous trail camera submission, which showed a white-tailed doe, reared up on its hind legs, flailing its front legs at another deer in a show of dominance.
Today’s video, from Sept. 14, provides a demonstration of some pretty nifty tree-climbing skills by a couple of different animals.
This one is a life-or-death chase involving a raccoon and a bobcat. The raccoon in the tree demonstrates remarkable patience before scurrying up the trunk to escape the hungry predator.
“That’s a great video showing species interactions!” said Shevenell Webb, furbearer biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
“Bobcats are opportunistic predators and consume a wide variety of prey including snowshoe hare, wild turkey, squirrels and even deer,” Webb said. “Raccoons are not a typical food source, but it’s certainly possible the bobcat was hoping for a meal.”
The raccoon on the ground certainly didn’t mind that it wasn’t the intended target. It took advantage of the situation as the bobcat focused its attention on the other raccoon.
“The two raccoons certainly had a terrifying encounter with the tree-climbing bobcat. The one on the ground didn’t know whether to freeze, creep away, or run; so it did all three,” Rose Clowes said.
Webb concurred that the raccoon on the ground probably did well to remain still and wait until it had the chance to escape.
Ultimately, it appears as though no animals were harmed during the incident.
“The bobcat reappeared walking in the other direction barely a minute later, so it appears that the raccoons survived unscathed,” Rose Clowes said.
Many thanks to Rose and Mark Clowes for sharing another great piece of video!
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