A cat in Florida was quick enough on its feet to escape becoming an alligator's midnight snack in a recent video caught by infared cameras.
Wildlife researchers captured the footage that shows the cat walking late at night and the alligator making a grab for it, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The unusual scene was caught on camera in the National Wildlife Refuge in Big Pine Key, Fla.
Alyssa Johnson, an environmental education and outreach intern at the refuge, had installed two of her own cameras to capture footage of local wildlife.
"I love the cameras, because we get to see what the animals are doing when we're not around," Johnson told Live Science.
Because the footage was taken around 3:30 a.m., the cat probably noticed the approaching danger through its hearing and smell rather than sight, Johnson said.
Some online commenters have wondered if the cat seen in the video is actually a cat since it looks unusual in the nighttime footage. But no foxes, coyotes, bobcats or panthers live in the refuge, while house kitties are a familiar sight, Johnson said.
Domestic cats commonly wander Big Pine Key since private homes are located right outside the refuge.
"Where the video was taken is very close to a neighborhood," Johnson told Live Science "It's very possible that this was someone's cat who was out for a midnight stroll and doesn't respect boundaries on maps."
Alligators live close to the camera spot in "Blue Hole," a former limestone quarry that is now a freshwater pond, attracting Key deer, iguanas and birds.
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