Scientists Pull Whole Alligator From The Stomach Of 18ft-Long Python
Timothy Roberts
If you happen to live in Florida, you are probably accustomed to seeing alligators. Then again, you may never have seen one being pulled out of a snake!
That is exactly what happened in the southern state when an 18-foot Python was brought in after being found by field workers at the Florida Everglades.
Photo: Instagram/@rosiekmoore
As an invasive species, the Burmese Python has to be euthanized when they are caught in Florida. After doing so, the biologists who had possession of the snake cut it open and pulled out an entire alligator. Fortunately, they were able to capture the event on video and they posted it to Instagram.
According to the Washington Post, the first python was found in the Everglades in the 1980s. It likely arrived due to the pet trade and was released or got loose from someone in the area.
Since that time, the wild breeding of pythons has escalated and has had a negative impact on the ecology in Florida, particularly in the Everglades. This is not only impacting alligators, as is shown in the video, there are many mammal populations that are being affected as well.
Photo: Instagram/@rosiekmoore
After being brought in, the team of biologists was contemplating what the snake might have eaten. They didn't have to wait for long, because they cut it open and pulled something shocking out.
In speaking with the Daily Mail, Moore said: "They called us and they said there was a large object in it, we thought it was either a deer or an alligator. It's definitely shocking, it was my first time ever seeing an event like that, I've never seen a python with something like that in it."
Photo: Instagram/@rosiekmoore
After being posted online, the video drew a lot of attention and more than 10 million people have watched it. Some of them have commented, claiming that the snake should've been rehomed or somehow saved.
The biologists were quick to reply to those comments, letting them know that it was euthanized humanely according to Florida law and that saving the Python was not an option.
You can see the video for yourself below:
