5-Foot Alligator Removed From 18-Foot Burmese Python’s Stomach; How Snakes Eat Their Prey Whole?

Snakes are known to eat their prey whole. And that was observed in a massive Burmese python with an alligator found in its stomach.

Snake vs. Alligator

A resurfaced video showed a dead 18-foot Burmese python with a five-foot alligator removed from its stomach. The video was first shared by Rosie Moore, a Florida-based scientist, in November, on Instagram.

According to her, in Florida, Burmese pythons are required to be euthanized. Burmese pythons have successfully invaded ecologically delicate locations like Everglades National Park thanks to the subtropical climate of South Florida and their long lifespan and fast breeding. Due to the python's diverse feeding choices, it poses a hazard to other fauna. So, it is advised to take them down.

Those who found the python put it down and turned it over to the research lab for necropsy and scientific sample collection.

The video showed what happened. Inside the giant snake's stomach was a big gator, which it apparently ate.

Moore told DailyMail.com that they received a call and were told that a large object was inside the python's body. They speculated that it was either a deer or an alligator.

She admitted that she found the discovery shocking as it was the first time she had witnessed something like it. Moore said she had never seen a snake with something like it.

Pythons Are Invasive in Florida

Burmese pythons are not native to Florida. According to History.com, an irresponsible exotic pet owner released the species into the wild after Hurricane Andrew in Florida in 1992, which destroyed its breeding facility and released countless snakes into the nearby swamps.

A study from the U.S. Geological Survey said python is one of the most intractable invasive species. Their population has grown so much that they have become an issue worldwide.

The investigation discovered that Florida had produced pythons that were longer than 15 feet and weighed more than 200 pounds; even hatchlings can grow to lengths of over two feet.

According to the analysis, invasive species are one of the greatest dangers to restoration success, and their voracious spread is made all the more concerning because the state and the federal government have invested billions of dollars in recovering the Everglades, per The New York Times.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the state has at least 139 established invasive species, which means that they are reproducing in the wild due to its subtropical environment, various entrance points, and extensive live animal traffic. Over the years, the state has been home to more than 500 non-native species.

The review notes that while Burmese pythons have primarily been seen in and around Everglades National Park and other swamplands, many have also been found in Naples and the western outskirts of Miami. Pythons, like invasive iguanas, have been known to occasionally emerge from the occasional South Florida toilet bowl.

The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission challenges the public to find and catch as many snakes as they can once a year during a python hunt. Since the hunt does not include the use of weapons, participants must complete an online or in-person instruction course on how to humanely kill pythons using either favored mechanical methods, like a stun gun, or manual ones, such as hunting knives. The previous year's winner earned $10,000 for finding 28 pythons.

Check out more news and information on Alligators in Science Times.