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Alligator wolfs down python in Florida park
An alligator was caught on camera devouring a python at the Everglades, and the woman who shot the video said it was “something very special.” (Video: Alison Joslyn via Storyful)
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, Fla. – One amateur wildlife photographer captured a thrilling predator vs. prey interaction at Everglades National Park that had her rooting for the “home team.”
Alison Joslyn shared a video she shot from Shark Valley Trail on social media which showed a sizable gator chomping on a Burmese python, an invasive and nonnative species in Florida.
“What a thrill to come across an alligator eating a large invasive Burmese Python in Shark Valley as I was out riding my bike. As an amateur wildlife photographer, I knew immediately I was seeing something very special,” Joslyn told Storyful.
Photo: Alison Joslyn via Storyful
She added that she thought both creatures might have been dead, but then she noticed the gator opened one of its eyes to look at her. According to the FWC, Burmese pythons “have been found to prey” on alligators, among other animals, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“Phew! Score one for the home team!” she said.
Burmese pythons are not protected in Florida and can be humanely killed on private property with landowner permission, according to the FWC. They’re also considered one of the largest species of snakes in the world, as some caught in Florida average between 6 and 9 feet in length.
