Scientists spotted an unusual sighting of an alligator in a gopher tortoise burrow in Georgia. They were surprised to see the gator in the area because it was too far from a wetland.
Alligator in a Gopher Tortoise Burrow
A gopher tortoise burrow is a home to hundreds of species, including snakes, frogs, owls, and mice. However, alligators are typically not included in the list.
Biologists at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources were shocked when they peered into a gopher tortoise burrow in Tattnall, Georgia, Wednesday and found a 4.5-foot gator smiling back at them, Newsweek reported.
The organization shared snaps of the burrow on Facebook and some details about it.
According to them, nearly 350 different species benefit from gopher tortoise burrows, and American alligators are typically not among them. Yet in Tatnall County, one of their scientists discovered a gator in a gopher hole over the last three winters.
It has been observed in the last two years at the same burrow and in 2021 at an adjacent one. Scientists believe it to be the same alligator. They even approached the alligator lounging by the burrow's apron while setting up a game camera to record its visit this year.
The researchers believe that the gator slides in backward because the large reptile didn't dive for the hole and even appeared reluctant to do so, which according to them, made sense.
Turning around in a tortoise tunnel would be challenging for a creature almost 5 feet long. Gators often spend the winter in holes or dens near waterways. However, the distance between the burrow and a substantial water source is more than eight football fields, making the experts wonder why it came so far to use the hole when other tortoise burrows are nearby.
Biologists think memory may be involved. They speculate the alligator remembered where to go because it couldn't be following last year's scent track.
At least twice earlier, alligators were discovered in gopher holes in Georgia. Although none contained a tunnel that had been utilized repeatedly over a number of years, and both were close to wetlands.
Cannibal Alligator in Florida
In related news, a wildlife photographer witnessed a massive alligator eating a six-foot gator in Florida. Barbara D'Angelo visited her dad on March 6 and decided to take a detour through Florida park to watch the sunset.
It was already dark, and the birds were settling. When she turned to watch the sunset and compose her photo, she heard a massive splash behind her, 10 feet away.
When she turned in that direction, she saw a giant gator raising its head with something dark in its mouth. She captured the moment and realized it was a smaller gator.
She focused the camera on the cannibal alligator. According to her, the beast kept its eye on her, and she stood like a tree to make sure she wouldn't appear like a threat to it. D'Angelo said the gator knew what it was doing. It reportedly crushed its prey, tenderized and folded it when it was done.
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