Bobcat Predation on American Alligators in Coastal South Carolina

Meghan P. Keating^1,*, Thomas R. Rainwater^2,3, Randeep Singh³, Maggie R. Priore³, Steven G. Platt⁴, Philip M. Wilkinson², Taal Levi⁵, Catherine M.B. Jachowski¹, and David S. Jachowski¹

¹Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634. ²Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, Georgetown, SC 29440. ³Belle W. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science, Clemson University, Georgetown, SC 29440. ⁴Wildlife Conservation Society– Cambodia Program, Tonle Bassac, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. ⁵Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 24, Issue 3 (2025): N28–N37

First published early online: 11 August 2025

Abstract
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.

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