Survival of the fittest? Stunning footage of an alligator eating another alligator
by David Ingram
The animal kingdom is a tough place to live in and can often be described as a dog-eat-dog world; or, in this case, gator-eat-gator.
This grisly footage captures the moment when an 11 to 12 foot-long alligator was found chomping down on a smaller alligator.
This Darwinian-like video was taken by Alex Figueroa as he was going about his morning walk at the Circle B Bar Reserve located in Lakeland, Fla.
The massive reptile can be seen emerging from the water and crossing a trail with a smaller alligator hanging halfway out of its mouth. As onlookers stand at a distance, the alligator can be seen thrashing the corpse of the lesser reptile, violently, before eventually carrying on its way.
This act of cannibalism is certainly an awesome sight to behold, but apparently not entirely uncharacteristic.
Speaking to Fox 13 News, Florida Fish and Wildlife officer Gary Morse says this behaviour is typical for alligators of this size.
“Sometimes it can be territorial, but very often alligators are cannibalistic,” he said.
“What alligators will typically do is they’ll take that animal and stuff it some place for a week or two until it gets nice and soft and they can tear it apart.”
Morse also noted that male alligators are typically more aggressive during their mating season, which stretches from March to June. Consider yourself warned, fellow gators.
