Florida panther sneaks up on opossum, but outcome is a surprise

Florida panthers prey on an assortment of mammals, including opossums. But for one seemingly oblivious opossum recently, it must have been its lucky night.

The accompanying footage, credited to Dick Brewer and shared by Matt Devitt of WINK Weather, shows a panther walking up behind an opossum, seemingly out of pure curiosity.

Although both animals bare their teeth, the encounter features a surprise ending, revealing that top predators aren’t always savage beasts.

Top comment on Facebook: “This is the Florida we need to be saving.”

Endangered Florida panthers are protected by state and federal law, numbering slightly more than 200 individuals. Their top prey items are deer and wild hogs.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Florida panther sneaks up on opossum, but outcome is a surprise