An alligator in the marsh was spotted with a massive python in its mouth. Here's what happened.
Florida Woman Caught an Alligator Eating a Python
Katina Boychew visited Florida Everglades last week. She was surprised to find a huge gator chowing down on a Burmese python, Fox Weather reported.
She uploaded a video of the encounter on Instagram, and in the clip, the alligator slammed the snake, which appeared to be lifeless at that point.
According to WBAL-TV, the video was captured on March 29 when she visited the park. She told the outlet that she watched the sight for about two hours because she thought that it was something she would likely never come across again.
The clip received mixed responses from netizens. One noticed the size of the snake and said it was huge. Another user seemingly cheered on the alligator, writing, "Go Gators!!"
Many also found the video insane and crazy. Another said it was amazing.
The encounter goes both ways because snakes also eat gators.
In a previous report from Science Times, an 18-foot Burmese python in Florida was euthanized, and a 5-foot alligator was removed from its stomach.
According to Rosie Moore, a Florida-based scientist, they received a call and were told that a large object was inside the snake's body. The python was sent to the lab for necropsy and scientific samples.
Moore explained that pythons must be euthanized in the state because they are invasive. The expert said they predicted the object to be a deer or gator.
Although they were not wrong, Moore admitted that she still found the discovery shocking because she had never witnessed something like it before.
What Do Alligators Eat?
According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), alligators are opportunistic feeders. They prey on species that are abundant and easily accessible.
Juvenile alligators primarily eat insects, amphibians, small fish, and other invertebrates. Adult alligators' diet includes rough fish, snakes, turtles, small mammals, and birds.
Alligators are also cannibals. They eat their kind.
In another report from Science Times, an 8-foot alligator was caught eating a smaller gator. The bigger reptile raised its head and whipped and slammed its prey before snapping its neck and crushing its bones.
Cannibalism among alligators is not uncommon. Bigger alligators are known to prey on smaller gators.
In August 2022, Tammy Shaw was paddling on Silver Springs in Marion County when she spotted an 11-foot alligator, about the length of her paddle board, with a smaller gator about half its size.
She recorded the incident and remembered the alligator reportedly looking right at her with the smaller gator in its mouth. Shaw felt that the bigger gator was proud of what it did.
RELATED ARTICLE: Homeowner Shot a 7-Foot Alligator 4 Times in the Head While the Beast Was Biting His Dog; FWC Will Not File Charges for the Killing
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