Can you spot the predator? Camera shows intruder faced mob of glowing eyes in Arizona
A wildlife camera caught a cartoonish moment in Arizona when a clueless predator found itself outnumbered hundreds to one by its annoyed prey.
The Arizona Game & Fish Department shared a photo of the scene Saturday on Facebook, and asked its 123,000 followers if they could “spot the intruder.”
Hundreds have reacted to the puzzle, and most easily picked out a hapless coyote facing an intimidating army of glowing eyes in the dark.
Those eyes belonged to sandhill cranes, 20,000 of which dominate the Whitewater Draw in southeastern Arizona, the state says.
“I think they see him,” one commenter joked on Facebook.
“I’d be getting the heck outta there if I was that (coyote). He is out numbered,” another commenter wrote.
The photo was taken by a live camera that is focused 24-7 on the birds, which “spend the night standing in Whitewater Draw’s shallow waters” to avoid sneak attacks by predators, the state says. At dawn, the birds take flight “to feed and socialize.”
Arizona officials did not say what became of the coyote, but multiple commenters said they saw its awkward arrival on the camera feed and it was running.
Some species of sandhill crane can stand 5 feet tall and weigh 14 pounds, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife. The birds have been known to challenge even alligators if they sense a threat to their nest.
Coyotes grow to 30 pounds in Arizona and are the “primary predator” of sandhill cranes, which “make a loud, rolling, musical rattle that can be heard from more than a mile away,” according to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Coyotes
“The number of wintering sandhill cranes in the area has increased dramatically since the 1950s, probably in response to the abundant food (primarily corn) available in harvested grain fields,” Arizona wildlife officials report.
This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 5:12 AM with the headline "Can you spot the predator? Camera shows intruder faced mob of glowing eyes in Arizona."