Python V alligator

[Chocoholic]

Here's one for the GF Animal tournament

 

Greedy bastard. Here's a classic case of 'your eyes were bigger than your belly'

 

 

Snake bursts after gobbling gator

 

 

 

The predators died in the clash

 

Enlarge Image

An unusual clash between a 6-foot (1.8m) alligator and a 13-foot (3.9m) python has left two of the deadliest predators dead in Florida's swamps.

 

The Burmese python tried to swallow its fearsome rival whole but then exploded.

 

The remains of the two giant reptiles were found by astonished rangers in the Everglades National Park.

 

The rangers say the find suggests that non-native Burmese pythons might even challenge alligators' leading position in the food chain in the swamps.

 

Clearly, if they can kill an alligator they can kill other species

Prof Frank Mazzotti

 

The python's remains were found with the victim's tail protruding from its burst midsection. The head of the python was missing.

 

"Encounters like that are almost never seen in the wild... And here we are," Frank Mazzotti, a University of Florida wildlife professor, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

 

"They were probably evenly matched in size. If the python got a good grip on the alligator before the alligator got a good grip on him, he could win," Professor Mazzotti said.

 

He said the alligator may have clawed at the python's stomach, leading it to burst.

 

"Clearly, if they can kill an alligator they can kill other species," Prof Mazzotti said.

 

He said that there had been four known encounters between the two species in the past. In the other cases, the alligator won or the battle was an apparent draw.

 

Burmese pythons - many of whom have been dumped by their owners - have thrived in the wet and hot climate of Florida's swamps over the past 20 years.

 

 

BBC NEWS | Americas | Snake bursts after gobbling gator

[zigackly]

I think you have to rule that a draw to be honest.

[Bobby Hundreds]

Ooh think of the moccasins

[G Richards]

Alligator story:

 

Was on holiday in Florida last week. We were on the Gulf Coast, just north of Tampa, and the area is called the nature coast. We hired a canoe to paddle down the Weekie Watchee river. The river is fed by a big spring, is crystal clear, and you see loads of wildlife - manatees, bald eagles, turtles, loads of birds, all sorts. It is about a 10 mile trip, and then they pick you up at the end and take you back to your car.

 

On the way downriver we stopped at a nice sandy spot to have a picnic. We saw a flip-flop floating past, and we all laughed, as somebody upstream had obviously lost it. As we were laughing about the flip-flop going past, an alligator shot out from the opposite bank just a few yards in front of us, tasted the flip-flop, saw that it wasn't food, spat it out, and then swam back to where he was hiding.

 

Mrs G and I looked at each other in disbelief. She screamed and jumped into the canoe, along with the two kids. I picked up the paddle ready to fight the alligator off (there was nothing else to hand, so I thought that was better than trying to hit it with a cracker or a capri-sun drink!) Me and the alligator stood there looking at each other for what seemed like ages, while Mrs G packed up the picnic sharpish and then we got out of there. Were it not for the flip-flop floating by, we would never have known the alligator was there, even though it was really close.

 

It was an intense experience. I later found out that the rangers sweep the river regularly, and any alligators over 6 foot are removed and placed further away from where people go. The alligator we had an encounter with was a bit smaller, but still plenty big enough to take your hand off or give either of our kids a problem they couldn't handle. We will never forget the experience, that's for sure.

[Lee909]

Its a old picture.

There was a documentary on the problems with Pythons in the everglades on tv a while back.The experts think that the python was allready injured before attempting to digest the gator.Some were suggesting that it was attacked while digesting.

[Funkasy]

Pythongator ? Can see one of those movies been made now like the megashark and those other crappy movies.