Video: Burmese Python Swallows Juvenile Alligator in Florida Everglades
OutdoorHub Reporters 06.07.19
By now, you’re probably well aware how Burmese pythons are taking over the Florida Everglades, slowly eradicating one species from the region after the next. Well, it’s one thing to read about, but it’s completely different – and entirely uncomfortable – to see it in a video. Which leads to this post we saw on the Instagram account, @natureismetal, showing a python swallow a juvenile alligator.
And because swallowing a gator whole takes a little bit of time, the footage is sped up so you don’t have to spend all afternoon staring at your screen:
As the post states, the video above stems from another post on the account showing a scrub python choking down an entire wallaby. Evidently, some folks in the comments appeared confused how these snakes manage to swallow prey that’s twice their size..
This is a prime example why pythons pose such a threat to Florida’s Everglades. These snakes have no known predators in the wild and are reproducing at an astonishing rate, sometimes having hundreds of babies at one time.
Thanks to the South Florida Water Management District’s Python Elimination Program, we’ve seen some big snakes captured and removed from the area, however, they’re capable of reaching lengths up to 20ft long. That means even full grown, mature alligators are on the menu for this invasive species.
