In Gator vs. Python, Guess Who Wins?

Woman records body-slamming encounter in Florida Everglades, in which reptile claims victory
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 8, 2023 10:00 AM CDT

It's survival of the fittest in the Everglades, and if you're wondering who might win in a showdown between an alligator and a Burmese python, this clip recorded by Katina Boychew should put that question to rest. Per NBC2, the Florida woman was visiting the wetlands preserve last week when she spotted an apparently ravenous reptile in the marsh with a rather large snake, and although the news outlet notes that this type of python is known to prey on birds, mammals, and yes, even alligators, things didn't fall in the python's favor this time around.

In Boychew's video posted on Instagram, the gator can be seen dragging the python in its mouth from a deeper pool of water toward a grassier spot of land. After chomping down on the snake a few times, the alligator suddenly and "triumphantly" body-slams its meal, which doesn't appear very responsive at this point, on the ground, per FOX 35 Orlando. Geoscientist Rosie Moore says she's not surprised how things went down.

"Snakes are a staple in an alligator's diet, and depending on size class of the animals, there is an equal opportunity for the alligators to prey on the snakes, and snakes to prey on the alligators," she tells Insider. Moore notes that gators will execute that body-slamming move to try to break their prey up into smaller pieces. She adds that locals may be seeing more of this type of battle, as the population of pythons, an invasive species in the Sunshine State, has been growing and spreading throughout the region—meaning more potential contact with gators. (More viral video stories.)

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