Bobcat Predation on American Alligators in Coastal South Carolina
We describe 6 observations of Lynx rufus (Bobcat) preying on Alligator mississippiensis (American Alligator) in South Carolina. Two of our accounts are field observations, 3 are based on trail camera imagery, and 1 is via scat analysis. Bobcat diet items most often include small- to large-bodied mammals and birds, whereas our observations provide evidence of predation on American Alligators by Bobcats. Further, 3 of our observations involve juvenile Alligators and 2 involve Alligator hatchlings and eggs, for which knowledge gaps exist with regards to predation risk.
Authors
- David S. Jachowski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4598-8334)
- Philip M. Wilkinson
- Meghan P. Keating (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2717-2841)
- Taal Levi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1853-8311)
- Catherine M. Bodinof Jachowski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6015-9908)
- Steven G. Platt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2230-0878)
- Thomas R. Rainwater (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4682-7735)
- Randeep Singh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8288-8029)
- Maggie R. Priore
Institutions
- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (US)
- Oregon State University (US)
- Clemson University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Southeastern Naturalist
- Published
- 2025-08-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1656/058.024.0303
- Primary Topic
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00