Dramatic Footage Shows Young Alligator Ambushing a Large Snake in Florida
Most Florida residents are undoubtedly accustomed to dealing with wildlife like snakes and alligators, mostly due to the ample freshwater marshes, wetlands, and swamps across the state. What is definitely unusual, however, is seeing an alligator hunt and attack a snake, which is exactly what one couple witnessed right in their own backyard.
Sean O'Malley from Nocatee, FL, about 35 minutes south of Jacksonville, told FOX 35 News that he's seen plenty of many wild animals in the eight years he's lived in the area, but that an alligator fighting a snake was a new one on him. "It was awesome," O'Malley said of the incident, which his wife caught on video.
In the footage, below, you can see the alligator casually yet deliberately swimming to the edge of a pond before emerging from the water and charging the snake in the grass. The gator grabs the snake, whipping it around in its mouth like a rag doll, before dragging it back into the water.
Once in the water, the gator proceeds to execute a few "death rolls," the spinning maneuver alligators use to subdue and dismember their prey.
It's unclear what became of the snake, though it seems highly unlikely that it survived its swim. Citing Florida Fish and Wildlife, Fox 35 points out that alligators are "opportunistic feeders" that will prey on species that are abundant and easily accessible, such as small fish, insects, amphibians, and other invertebrates.
That said, adult alligators are also known to eat turtles, small mammals, birds, and yes, even snakes, when given the chance.
