Bobcat pictured dragging shark from surf at Florida beach

A photographer has come forward to explain a remarkable shot of a bobcat dragging a small shark onshore at a beach in the US state of Florida.

John Bailey told TV news station WPLG-TV he was walking along the beach at Sebastian Inlet State Park when he spotted the bobcat leap into the ocean and pull out its catch.

"Initially, it was pretty quick," Bailey said.

"Spotted it, pulled it up (and) the shark floundered for a while."

He said the bobcat never got to enjoy its spoils — it became spooked, dropped the shark on the sand and ran off into a nearby wooded area.

A spokesperson for the Florida Wildlife Commission said it believes the picture is real.

The agency posted on its Facebook page that biologists think the shark may be an adult Atlantic Sharpnose Shark, which can grow to a little under one metre in length.