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By DENISE KALETTE, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 16 minutes ago

MIAMI - 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.'"

MKSheppard wrote: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.'"

Nice, especially this part.

That looks extremely painful.

I suppose the python didn't make well enough sure the croc was dead before swallowing and it struggled. Inside the belly.

Swallowing a croc that size should take a lot of time, time during which the head of the croc would have been in the throat, meaning no air. No air + struggle + lots of time would have me expecting the reptile should have suffocated before it could get that far in. Yet it appears to have had enough oxygen left to make its dying blow. Really wild.

The Silence and I wrote:That looks extremely painful.

I suppose the python didn't make well enough sure the croc was dead before swallowing and it struggled. Inside the belly.

Swallowing a croc that size should take a lot of time, time during which the head of the croc would have been in the throat, meaning no air. No air + struggle + lots of time would have me expecting the reptile should have suffocated before it could get that far in. Yet it appears to have had enough oxygen left to make its dying blow. Really wild.

Maybe it was swallowed tail-first? That way it was still alive when it was completely swallowed and in the process of being digested.

(Yum, Mother Nature shows how nice she is, once more).

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

For some reason this struck me as hilarious.

Gators can hold their breath a long time. This might account for it being alive long enough to kill the snake.

And, if you ask me, this was not "python becoming gator predator" but another draw, as both combatants are dead.

I saw this later on the BBC, they speculated the gator had slashed up the python's belly during the fight and it simply ruptored later--although that doesn't mean the gator couldn't have struggled making the rupture more likely anyway.

The story also said four previous battles had been reported, each time the gator won or there was a draw. It also noted that the python here was missing a head... how THAT happened I don't know, since they didn't mention other signs of scavenging.

Linky

Saw this on Wednesday, in the newspaper. They made a big deal about how the location of the find (deep in the swamp) means that these pythons appear to have acclimated and are becoming indigenous to the Everglades.