Fierce Cannibalism: Alligator is spotted devouring another in Texas swamp
As much as the idea that one individual can devour another of his own kind can give us the creeps - after all, cannibalism is a super-taboo practice around the world - the truth is that there are many animals in nature who have no problem at all. snack on a little friend. And an example of this was recently documented in a Texas swamp by photographer Brad Streets.
Snack
According to Mindy Weisberger of Live Science, Brad was in a state park when he suddenly spotted something unpleasant: a gutter of guts floating in the water. After taking a good look at the "unowned" guts, the photographer saw that there was a big alligator out there - but it was only an hour later that Brad discovered where the viscera came from ...
According to Mindy, the big guy in the picture is an alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis ), an animal that, when grown, can weigh between 2.5 and 3 meters in length and weigh more than 400 pounds, although specimens of almost 5 meters already have been observed in nature. In general, these reptiles feed on frogs, snakes and dead animals, but, as you have seen, they are not very fresh when it comes to starving, and if a younger individual is giving soup ... Nhóc !
In the case of the alligator caught by Brad, he captured a smaller, possibly younger, specimen and swallowed the entire creature. So much so that in the last picture you can only see the tip of the poor guy's tail pointing out of the alligator's mouth.
As for the reptile's cannibal behavior, Mindy said it is not that rare to see one alligator devouring another, since, besides being opportunistic creatures that do not dispense treats, they are super-territorial and aggressive, especially during periods. mating Thus, if any male invades another's space, very tense fights will ensue and the winner will usually eat the loser. In the sense of devouring even, see, dear reader !?
But when it comes to prey, when it comes to a small animal, alligators swallow whole creatures, while, in the case of larger animals, reptiles use their powerful jaws to grind bones and tear their bodies into smaller pieces. Already with bigger animals, after killing them, alligators can stock carcasses in their burrows near the water and wait for the meat to become “softer” and easier to tear.
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