Coyote Actually Catches Roadrunner in Real Life

Blame this wildlife plot twist on Los Angeles, where even the cartoons seem to come to life. Bird-watcher Alexander deBarros was recently surveying the Chatsworth Nature Preserve with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power when he spotted a coyote trotting by with a greater roadrunner clenched in its jaws, prompting quick photos and some stunned reactions, per KTLA. The longtime birder later confirmed what he thought he saw: the real-life version of a Wile E. Coyote victory.

"I don't know which of his convoluted contraptions finally worked!" deBarros jokingly wrote on his Instagram post about the coyote's win. The coincidence didn't end there. His father, animator Brian Mainolfi, got his start working with Chuck Jones, who created the famous cartoon duo, per KTLA. The sighting came the same weekend the characters' latest film, Coyote vs. Acme, opened in theaters.

Mainolfi searched online and couldn't find a verified photo of a coyote eating a greater roadrunner, though whether this is a first hasn't been independently confirmed. Coyotes can actually outrun roadrunners and will eat opportunistically, including vulnerable birds like roadrunners. For deBarros, it's a reminder that urban LA still hides surprises. "Nature is all around us even in places we don't expect," he says.