“We thought the snake must have caused the damage herself by somehow crushing her own eggs,” Dr. Currylow said, “but then we saw the photos and, well, it was just incredible.”
The researchers removed the snake and analyzed the nest in detail. They found that 42 eggs had been destroyed and that 22 were damaged but potentially viable. They collected these eggs and incubated them. None hatched.
While it is possible that this interaction was just an isolated incident, it is also possible that native species are beginning to respond to the presence of the python.
“Most cat species adapt their diet to what is available, so bobcats predating on python eggs is actually not that surprising” said Mathias Tobler, a wildlife ecologist at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Reptile eggs are already a part of the Florida bobcat diet. Bobcats are known to eat sea turtle eggs, and these may have similarities to python eggs.
“Egg hunting in bobcats is really a learned behavior,” Dr. Tobler said. “Once some individuals figure out how to prey on python eggs they could potentially do this quite regularly.”
Of course, the big difference between python nests and those of sea turtles is that the snake nests are usually guarded. But Dr. Currylow also points out that female pythons typically go without food until their eggs are about to hatch. That might be the main reason the bobcat survived its adventure.
Whether these felines will eat enough eggs to turn the tide against the python invasion remains to be seen.