Python swallows 6ft gator

[fish_doc]

The alligator has some foreign competition at the top of the Everglades food chain, and the results of the struggle are horror-movie messy.

A 13-foot Burmese python recently burst after it apparently tried to swallow a live, six-foot alligator whole, authorities said.

The incident has heightened biologists' fears that the nonnative snakes could threaten a host of other animal species in the Everglades.

"It means nothing in the Everglades is safe from pythons, a top-down predator," said Frank Mazzotti, a University of Florida wildlife professor.

Over the years, many pythons have been abandoned in the Everglades by pet owners.

The gory evidence of the latest gator-python encounter — the fourth documented in the past three years — was discovered and photographed last week by a helicopter pilot and wildlife researcher.

The snake was found with the gator's hindquarters protruding from its midsection. Mazzotti said the alligator may have clawed at the python's stomach as the snake tried to digest it.

In previous incidents, the alligator won or the battle was an apparent draw.

"There had been some hope that alligators can control Burmese pythons," Mazzotti said. "This indicates to me it's going to be an even draw. Sometimes alligators are going to win and sometimes the python will win."

It is unknown how many pythons are competing with the thousands of alligators in the Everglades, but at least 150 have been captured in the past two years, said Joe Wasilewski, a wildlife biologist and crocodile tracker.

Pythons could threaten many smaller species that conservationists are trying to protect, including other reptiles, otters, squirrels, woodstorks and sparrows, Mazzotti said.

Wasilewski said a 10- or 20-foot python also could pose a risk to an unwary human, especially a child. He added, however, "I don't think this is an imminent threat. This is not a `Be afraid, be very afraid' situation.'"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051005/...t/gator_python

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/051005/4...HYzBHNlYwN0bXA-

[fish_doc]

Now what were some of those what vs what threads we had going. LOL

[fishboy]

what'd you do search google for weirdest new stories?

[fish_doc]

No It just my strange type of luck.

Check out the video of the snake.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/scp_v3/...o&39;&ch=68276

[Scuba Kid]

a girl in my Bio class brought that in. really weird.

[AshleytheGreat]

Idk what I would do if I saw that.

[shev]

obviously the python ate some aligator eggs, and one of them hatched and fed on whatever the python ate.

[Fishboy93]

That was the front page of my local newspaper. I was near there fishing once.

[hogan7]

Originally Posted by shev

obviously the python ate some aligator eggs, and one of them hatched and fed on whatever the aligator ate.

please tell me this is a joke.

[shev]

Originally Posted by hogan7

please tell me this is a joke.

yes.

[fish_doc]

On the radio today they were trying to figure out how the python exploded. Seeing how it is the back end of the gator you can only guess what some of the callers said.

snake eats gator
gator has gas
gator releases gas
python explodes
both die.

The truth is somthing more like this though.
pythons normally dont eat anything alive. so if he found a dead gator he ate it, if you have ever seen a dead animal in the street in the summertime they tend to bloat. Thus the gasous release that exploded the snake.

Another theory is that when a gator dies its legs continue to move somewhat like when you kill a spider. Thus when the snake ate the gator the legs continued to move scratching the gator until it split open.

Intresting theorys and kind of makes you wonder what really happened.

[hogan7]

It had to b the gases of the gater soince the gator wouldnt get that far down a burmese still moving. That is about half way down, that meal could have been in its stomach for around 1.5 days max. So at least he was in the stomach for like 3-5 hours before he got to that point and thats the times for normal sized meals which this is not. Also there is just no way a gator is still kickin after that time.

[fishfreaks]

Wow, that is one freaky story!