Originally Posted by JackRussell

Chupacabra

[curt.1]

I live on Cane Garden #6 and see a bobcat on the course and in my yard quite often.

[merrymini]

I would love to see a bobcat! I live in the village of Hillsborough and it appears we have had them around but they seem to travel at night. Beautiful animal!

[joannej]

Could be trunk monkeys!

[John_W]

Originally Posted by Gail3762

When we’re these pictures taken? Especially the one in Hillsborough.

Except for the Florida Panther, those photos came from the online newspaper Village News. I'm unable to put a link to the article because that site is blocked. I just just searched and that was July 22, 2019 and here's the story.

Villager surprised to spot bobcat on wall outside his home

A Villager was surprised to spot a bobcat walking on the wall behind his home.

The bobcat was spotted Saturday morning at the home of Doug Byers at 3728 Infinity Run in the Village of Hillsborough.

“This cat was whining like it was hungry and it looked malnourished,” Byers said.

The Florida bobcat is identifiable by its short tail and the fringes of fur that outline the sides of its head. It weighs between 13 and 30 pounds and has a tail with white on its underside and black markings on its top side.

Bobcats are mainly nocturnal hunters who may also prey during the daylight hours. During the summer the Florida bobcats will eat mostly local fauna including squirrels, opossums, rabbits and raccoons. During the winter months, they hunt birds that pass through Florida to escape the cold up north.


Here's another Village News story,

Villager captures impressive image of bobcat at Sharon Rose Wiechens Preserve

Tom Lamb recently captured an impressive image of a bobcat at the Sharon Rose Wiechens Preserve.

This sighting follows others in the past few months in the Village of Pennecamp, the Village of Dunedin and at that same preserve.

The Florida bobcat is identifiable by its short tail and the fringes of fur that outline the sides of its head. It weighs between 13 and 30 pounds and has a tail with white on its underside and black markings on its top side.

Bobcats are mainly nocturnal hunters who may also prey during the daylight hours. During the summer the Florida bobcats will eat mostly local fauna including squirrels, opossums, rabbits and raccoons. During the winter months, they hunt birds that pass through Florida to escape the cold up north.




Sounds like you're concerned because of your pet. Besides bobcats, there has been many more reports of dogs being snatched by coyotes. One of the guys from my golf group had a neighbor's dog taken during the day in the Village of Tall Trees, a very congested area just off 466 and two people were in the yard with the dog, however he was not on a leash. Here's the channel 9 story that ran on TV.

Coyote snatches woman's dog in The Villages

[Northstar]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

Anyone else startled by a strange critter in the Villages last night? Saw it come from between our house and the neighbor's. Stop in the next door neighbor's drive-way and then cross the street only to stop again at a neighbor who is kitty corner to us.

My guess is that it was only about 30 lbs but it looked like from the pictures online like a Florida panther. But I do not remember a long tail.

Florida panthers are a lot more than 30 lbs full grown. It did have the panther's solid color though.

I did Google the Villages and Florida panther. That brought up a picture but that looks a lot bigger than what I saw.

-------------------------------

In mid February I saw a Bobcat chasing a rabbit. I was walking down Livingston Loop in Lynnhaven at 5am. They both came out from the Belmont golf course.

[Taltarzac725]

A friend from Doggie Doo Run Run's pooch, Jon Snow, got dragged off by a coyote about 3 AM a few years ago. He was a five year old chihuahua/ miniature pincher mix. One of Beau's top buddies at Doggie Doo Run Run. She had let it out to pee in her yard which had a doggie electric fence. She had not been aware coyotes were in her neighborhood.

Originally Posted by John_W

Except for the Florida Panther, those photos came from the online newspaper Village News. I'm unable to put a link to the article because that site is blocked. I just just searched and that was July 22, 2019 and here's the story.

Villager surprised to spot bobcat on wall outside his home

A Villager was surprised to spot a bobcat walking on the wall behind his home.

The bobcat was spotted Saturday morning at the home of Doug Byers at 3728 Infinity Run in the Village of Hillsborough.

“This cat was whining like it was hungry and it looked malnourished,” Byers said.

The Florida bobcat is identifiable by its short tail and the fringes of fur that outline the sides of its head. It weighs between 13 and 30 pounds and has a tail with white on its underside and black markings on its top side.

Bobcats are mainly nocturnal hunters who may also prey during the daylight hours. During the summer the Florida bobcats will eat mostly local fauna including squirrels, opossums, rabbits and raccoons. During the winter months, they hunt birds that pass through Florida to escape the cold up north.


Here's another Village News story,

Villager captures impressive image of bobcat at Sharon Rose Wiechens Preserve

Tom Lamb recently captured an impressive image of a bobcat at the Sharon Rose Wiechens Preserve.

This sighting follows others in the past few months in the Village of Pennecamp, the Village of Dunedin and at that same preserve.

The Florida bobcat is identifiable by its short tail and the fringes of fur that outline the sides of its head. It weighs between 13 and 30 pounds and has a tail with white on its underside and black markings on its top side.

Bobcats are mainly nocturnal hunters who may also prey during the daylight hours. During the summer the Florida bobcats will eat mostly local fauna including squirrels, opossums, rabbits and raccoons. During the winter months, they hunt birds that pass through Florida to escape the cold up north.




Sounds like you're concerned because of your pet. Besides bobcats, there has been many more reports of dogs being snatched by coyotes. One of the guys from my golf group had a neighbor's dog taken during the day in the Village of Tall Trees, a very congested area just off 466 and two people were in the yard with the dog, however he was not on a leash. Here's the channel 9 story that ran on TV.

Coyote snatches woman's dog in The Villages

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Northstar

-------------------------------

In mid February I saw a Bobcat chasing a rabbit. I was walking down Livingston Loop in Lynnhaven at 5am. They both came out from the Belmont golf course.

The bobcat scat Beau had peed on from every angle was only about one hundred feet from Livingston Loop. This was near the restroom on Belmont golf course.

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

Anyone else startled by a strange critter in the Villages last night? Saw it come from between our house and the neighbor's. Stop in the next door neighbor's drive-way and then cross the street only to stop again at a neighbor who is kitty corner to us.

My guess is that it was only about 30 lbs but it looked like from the pictures online like a Florida panther. But I do not remember a long tail.

Florida panthers are a lot more than 30 lbs full grown. It did have the panther's solid color though.

I did Google the Villages and Florida panther. That brought up a picture but that looks a lot bigger than what I saw.

Saw something odd just outside of our patio screen late one afternoon a few months ago. About two weeks later at around 3 am I looked out our front window and saw something that looked similar to my first sighting. I don't believe it was dog, or bobcat because it looked more the shape of a large otter. Both times I did not get a good look due to not having my glasses on. Your guess is as good as mine.

[charlieboy]

With the reduced activity outdoors, animals will become a little bolder. The longer this goes on the more likely you are to see more "strange" animals. They are just taking their habitat back for a while. Enjoy them but keep your dogs on a leash.

[John_W]

Originally Posted by fdpaq0580

...I don't believe it was dog, or bobcat because it looked more the shape of a large otter. Both times I did not get a good look due to not having my glasses on. Your guess is as good as mine.

This was in the Villages Sun today, an otter in Fenney Springs nature trail.

[kcksmom]

More than likely from your description, it was a bobcat. We have seen them on rare occasions in our neighborhood of Tierra del sol North. I was walking at dusk some time ago and one crossed my path about 50 yards away moving from the 18th hole to the marsh.

[Rosebud1949]

Cat on the wall young Florida Panther. Cat described.. Bobcat, we have them in Sunset Pointe.

[stargirl]

Next time you see him open the door and yell “hey Bob”. If he comes it’s probably a bobcat. . . Sorry I’ve been cooped up in the house too long!

[bigbobdog]

Originally Posted by anothersteve

bobcat.
Steve

yep, bobcat or lynx. Saw a lynx at griffin state park a year ago. Linda