PYTHON VS. GATOR EVERGLADES GUTBUSTER DEATH MATCH UPDATE
Because this is such an important story, this blog is providing the following high-resolution photograph by Michael Barron, followed by the full report by Skip Snow of the South Florida Natural Resources Center.
PYTHON MOLURUS BIVITTATUS
(Burmese python) FEEDING ON ALLIGATOR MISSIPPIENSIS (American Alligator) IN
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
FIELD NOTES
Skip Snow, South Florida
Natural Resources Center, Everglades
National Park, 40001 State Road 9336, Homestead, Florida 33034, USA
On the morning of 27 September 2005,
with the assistance of
Both python and
alligator were badly bloated. The
bloating and decomposition of the python was similar to that observed in
pythons known to have been dead at least 24-48 hours. I determined the python to be a male, the
carcass total length measuring 386 cm, or about 12.5’. The python’s tail length measured 47 cm. Although some bones of the jaw were present,
the head of the python was missing. Based
on necropsies of similar sized pythons, head length would perhaps add another
10 to 13 cm (4 to 5 inches) or so.
As mentioned
above, and as the pictures show, the python was found with the hind quarters of
a dead American alligator protruding from the snake’s mid-section. The stomach of the python still surrounded
the head, shoulders, and forelimbs of the alligator. When extracted from the snake, the alligator
was largely intact except for two open wounds, one to the top of the skull
behind the eyes and one on the shoulder. In both cases dermal bone was missing, suggesting some kind of trauma. The alligator measured 98 cm snout-vent
length (SVL), with a total length (TL) of 194 cm, or about 6.4’
The alligator’s
skin, from the carcass both inside and outside the python, was largely missing,
sloughed and decomposing. Large wads of
alligator skin were found in what remained of the GI tract anterior to (forward
of) the gaping hole in the body of the snake. This suggests to me that the alligator was indeed, at one time, entirely
within the snake’s gut. No other
identifiable prey items were observed in the lower gut of the python. How the body wall of the python was breached
is a matter of speculation, as is the python’s cause of death.
Let me be the first to say DAYUM ... and thanks for the hi-res photo.
Posted by: MOTW | October 05, 2005 at 01:27 PM
Wads Of Alligator WBAGNFARB .....Firsssst.
Posted by: Sean | October 05, 2005 at 01:28 PM
Sssssecond..
Posted by: Sean | October 05, 2005 at 01:28 PM
Slinky: I bet you a dollar you can't eat that alligator.
Slithery: You're on!
*stupid snake bets*
Posted by: Christobol | October 05, 2005 at 01:31 PM
How the body wall of the python was breached is a matter of speculation, as is the python’s cause of death.
the alligator was largely intact except for two open wounds, one to the top of the skull behind the eyes and one on the shoulder. In both cases dermal bone was missing, suggesting some kind of trauma.
Skip, I have to ask:
Trauma .. caused by ..? The python?
Can a 12.5 ft. python be quick enough to escape a gator's lashing tail and flashing choppers? Is said python capable of inflicting a bite to remove dermal bone from the tough hide of an alligator? Or was the gator already dead (or on his way out of the building) when the python happened upon him?
Posted by: MOTW | October 05, 2005 at 01:33 PM
EWWWWWWWW!
Posted by: Renee | October 05, 2005 at 01:36 PM
'E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This python is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace!
Posted by: Monty | October 05, 2005 at 01:39 PM
Key quote: How the body wall of the python was breached is a matter of speculation, as is the python’s cause of death.
Well, duh...he couldn't get to a CVS to by his Prilosec OTC...anyone will tell you that eating that much alligator will bust your gut open...
Posted by: tropichunt.com guy™ | October 05, 2005 at 01:44 PM
Now looky here at dis. We have got the Florida equivalent of a turducken, ain' dat nice? Dis oughta be sometin like a pygatorish, hooo!
Posted by: Justin Wilson | October 05, 2005 at 01:45 PM
LUNCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: skink | October 05, 2005 at 01:57 PM
I kind of felt that way after lunch at that damn mexican place yesterday- I'm not goin' back THERE again *urp*
Posted by: Dave (not Barry) | October 05, 2005 at 02:06 PM
My mom always told me never to eat anything bigger than my head. It looks like we have another case of piss-poor python parenting.
Posted by: randon thunking | October 05, 2005 at 02:26 PM
"Snout-vent length" wbagnf...i dunno....something.
Posted by: Guin | October 05, 2005 at 02:34 PM
I used to go to a hot dog joint that had a specialty known as the Gut Bomb. A Louisiana hot link, chili, onions, hot peppers, hot salsa, hot mustard. Eat a couple of Gut Bombs after a night's drinking, and the chances were good you'd end up feeling like that python.
Posted by: GDogg | October 05, 2005 at 02:35 PM
here's the answer for those californians obsessed with catching their alligator. just bring in some giant pythons, problem solved.
Posted by: crossgirl | October 05, 2005 at 02:40 PM
I find this whole story hard to swallow.
Posted by: Reddsuss | October 05, 2005 at 02:42 PM
Adds rimshot for Reddsuss.... *ba-DA-BUM*
Posted by: Mr. Completely | October 05, 2005 at 02:45 PM
I'm finding my lunch rather hard to swallow after the new improved hi-res picture.
Posted by: sthnbelle | October 05, 2005 at 02:45 PM
I'll rent the Burt Reynolds movie "Gator" in honor of this post..
Posted by: Sean | October 05, 2005 at 02:49 PM
The cause of death was in the article:
"...a dead alligator gives a remarkably good imitation of being alive. One of the things they do is they move their legs like they're walking. Those claws are pretty sharp. It could tear through the [snake's] skin."
Then some little gator came along and took a bite of the dead python's head, which cbagnfarb.
Posted by: Brainy Jello | October 05, 2005 at 02:57 PM
Speaking of such stuff -----
ALERT ALERT ALERT
Check out drudgereport.com for the latest from that previously preggers Mz Spears and her need to tell everyone about her home video that she doesn't want anyone to see.
ALERT ALERT ALERT
Posted by: Rusty1 | October 05, 2005 at 03:24 PM
And we're putting down the sandwich we were eating....
Posted by: Angie | October 05, 2005 at 03:35 PM
All right, this is completely off topic, but, Dave do you still follow developments in the area of hideous lyrics? Because I heard a Black Eyed Peas song yesterday that was so bad I almost had an aneurysm:
Black Eyed Peas
My Humps
What you gon’ do with all that junk?
All that junk inside your trunk?
I’ma get, get, get, get, you drunk,
Get you love drunk off my hump.
My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump,
My hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely little lumps. (Check it out)
I drive these brothers crazy,
I do it on the daily,
They treat me really nicely,
They buy me all these ice-ys.
Dolce & Gabbana,
Fendi and then Donna
Karan, they be sharin’
All their money got me wearin’
Fly gearrr but I ain’t askin,
They say they love my ass ‘n,
Se7en Jeans, True Religion,
I say no, but they keep givin’
So I keep on takin’
And no I ain’t taken
We can keep on datin’
I keep on demonstrating.
My love, my love, my love, my love
You love my lady lumps,
My hump, my hump, my hump,
My humps they got u,
She’s got me spending.
(Oh) Spendin’ all your money on me and spending time on me.
She’s got me spendin’.
(Oh) Spendin’ all your money on me, on me, on me
What you gon’ do with all that junk?
All that junk inside that trunk?
I’ma get, get, get, get, you drunk,
Get you love drunk off my hump.
What u gon’ do with all that ass?
All that ass inside them jeans?
I’m a make, make, make, make you scream
Make u scream, make you scream.
Cos of my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump.
My hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely lady lumps. (Check it out)
I met a girl down at the disco.
She said hey, hey, hey yea let’s go.
I could be your baby, you can be my honey
Lets spend time not money.
I mix your milk wit my cocoa puff,
Milky, milky cocoa,
Mix your milk with my cocoa puff, milky, milky riiiiiiight.
They say I’m really sexy,
The boys they wanna sex me.
They always standing next to me,
Always dancing next to me,
Tryin’ a feel my hump, hump.
Lookin’ at my lump, lump.
U can look but you can’t touch it,
If u touch it I’ma start some drama,
You don’t want no drama,
No, no drama, no, no, no, no drama
So don’t pull on my hand boy,
You ain’t my man, boy,
I’m just tryn’a dance boy,
And move my hump.
My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump,
My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump.
My lovely lady lumps x3
In the back and in the front.
My lovin’ got u,
She’s got me spendin’.
(Oh) Spendin’ all your money on me and spending time on me.
She’s got me spendin’.
(Oh) Spendin’ all your money on me, on me, on me.
What you gon’ do with all that junk?
All that junk inside that trunk?
I’ma get, get, get, get you drunk,
Get you love drunk off my hump.
What you gon’ do with all that ass?
All that ass inside them jeans?
I’ma make, make, make, make you scream
Make you scream, make you scream.
What you gon do with all that junk?
All that junk inside that trunk?
I’ma get, get, get, get you drunk,
Get you love drunk off this hump.
What you gon’ do wit all that breast?
All that breast inside that shirt?
I’ma make, make, make, make you work
Make you work, work, make you work.
She’s got me spendin’.
Spendin all your money on me and spendin’ time on me
She’s got me spendin’.
Spendin’ all your money on me, on me, on me.
Posted by: Squidgy | October 05, 2005 at 04:04 PM
Well.
That was awful.
Posted by: louis gehrig | October 05, 2005 at 04:20 PM
Apparently, his eyes were bigger than his stomach.
Posted by: slyeyes | October 05, 2005 at 04:54 PM
Sure it's awful, but
U can look but you can’t touch it,
If u touch it I’ma start some drama,
You don’t want no drama,
No, no drama, no, no, no, no drama
I laugh every time!
For a period of about 3 weeks, my newborn would fall asleep every time this song came on. Just like that, magical. It wasn't every song... just this one. He's over that now, but it was nice while it lasted.
Oh so, is it... only offensive novelty rap? Or maybe just, you know, rap in general? 'Cause mommy can rap... ~Rachel on Friends
Posted by: Cody | October 05, 2005 at 04:59 PM
About the Black Eyed Peas lyrics ... definitely hideous...was there actual music to go with that??
As for the Gator v. Python match ... oh wow. Life (and death) in the animal kingdom .. eat or be eaten, or ...
Posted by: KonaChar | October 05, 2005 at 05:10 PM
Of course, there's always the possibility that the python didn't actually eat it, and that this was just another case of some kind of debris flying through something due to a hurricane.
The snake lost its head in an unrelated matter.
Posted by: James Trofe | October 05, 2005 at 05:59 PM
That song is banned in my hearing. My 12-yr-old daughter loves it. I came close to driving into a telephone pole because I was trying to change the radio station so quickly.
Posted by: Guin | October 05, 2005 at 06:10 PM
Note: following post is copy of my comments on original thread, too lazy to try retyping it ... Also, provides another chance to correct misteaks ...
Speaking as a professional photographer ... I'm a little disappointed in the photo ... pretty hard to make heads or tails out of this picture ...
As to the story:
Skip Snow? Skip Snow! Skip Snow?!?! SKIP SNOW!!!???
We coulda used this story being posted 24 hours earlier, Dave ... we woke up this a.m. with about 4-6" of the heavy, wet stuff all over town ...
With the leaves still on most of the trees, the gathered weight was too much, and many trees were broken off ...
Power went out about 10 a.m. (MDT) and we all hadda leave work ... even the grocery store was closed ... got home and couldn't blog ... every time the power returned for a few minutes, I'd get the 'net on, and it'd shut down again ...
Boy, I'll tell ya, we sure were snowed under ... made us feel like a bunch of dwarfs ...
Skip Snow? That gets my vote ...
Posted by: U.O | October 05, 2005 at 08:14 PM
Ewwwwwwwwwwww...
(and there isn't much that leaves me speechless like that)
Posted by: JustLinda | October 05, 2005 at 09:03 PM
FINALLY there's a solution to the L.A. Laker Gator Reggie!
All those high tech gator wranglers out there and all they really needed was to throw some pythons in the lake. They get a free meal, and we get the job done free. Everybody's happy.
Posted by: flyawaynet | October 05, 2005 at 10:48 PM
James T.: yes, from my unfortunate personal experiance with Katrina, hurricane foce winds could indeed blow an alligator into a python ! Yuck!
Posted by: annie | October 05, 2005 at 11:49 PM
So Annie, what will it take to blow Bill Clinton int
Posted by: Poop Dogg | October 06, 2005 at 02:14 AM
Love the mix of cm's and miles. Where's the degrees Centegrade when you need them!?
Posted by: kibby F5™ | October 06, 2005 at 04:25 AM
Right here: *Insert witty remark about degrees Centegrade*
Posted by: James Trofe | October 06, 2005 at 06:28 AM
mmmmmmmmmmm, alligator, it's what's for dinner.
Posted by: Jessica R. | October 06, 2005 at 03:29 PM
gnarley!!
www.bryanstupar.blogspot.com
Posted by: bryan | October 06, 2005 at 03:48 PM
"How the body wall of the python was breached is a matter of speculation, as is the python’s cause of death."
Methinks if they find how the body wall of the python was breached, that might have something to do with the cause of death. Just throwing that out there. As a suggestion to the professionals.
Posted by: gfunksizzle | October 06, 2005 at 07:00 PM
WAKE UP AMERICA! Look at the bodies! Look at them closely. They form an "e", as in the symbol of the currency of the fledgling one world government, the European Union! This is a warning to us of what will happen to this god-fearing land if we don't rise up and stop the tentacles of one world government. It's a sign, I tell you. An alien Asian snake killing and eating a native American alligator, destroying a symbol of the strength of this great land. A sign. Heed the sign, America!
Posted by: Dale | October 06, 2005 at 10:42 PM
You know what! I cannot believe that nobody said squat about the fact that there is/was a 13 foot SNAKE in the futher muckin'
Florida Everglades!!!
this is not the flippin' Am*zon!
(i mean, did anyone else picture Anaconda 2?)
Arm yourselves people!
Posted by: just sayin' | October 07, 2005 at 03:34 AM
What we want to know is first of all can a python eat an alligator.If it can how in the world did it lose it's head or is this all just a hoax.
Posted by: Tiffany Davenport & Heather McLeod | October 07, 2005 at 08:28 AM
One more wafer thing cookie, please!
Posted by: Siouxi_Q | October 07, 2005 at 02:50 PM
If y'all do down to the Everglades... stay in your car.
Posted by: the bartman | October 07, 2005 at 02:50 PM
This is better than Godzilla vs. Mothra or Alien vs. Predator.
Posted by: Osi | October 07, 2005 at 05:40 PM
Thanks alot! I had a nightmare that I went there at night and heard a bunch of noise. When I got to it all I could see in the dark was a bunch of black snakes swirling in the water, apparently feeding on remains. I ran back, slowly, in the nightmare, knowing that a huge alligator was also there and mad it had to share. It growled and moved toward me. Welcome to my so called life.
Posted by: summer | October 08, 2005 at 05:07 AM
I own several Burmese Pythons..the largest almost 17ft..from a petting zoo in northern Michigan. I'm sure the snake ate..and partially digested the gator, since pythons have a digestive system that works about 30,000 times harder than a humans. (Ref UofM gastro-intestinal research on the net if interested.) I'm sure it will all balance out in the Everglades..and now with news of "Python Pete..the python sniffing Beagle"..I'm all for taking bets on how many snakes ole' Pete will sniff out..before becoming a snack! While not the big nasties of recent "movie" lore, big snakes can move suprisingly fast when they want to.
Posted by: Joel | October 10, 2005 at 06:45 AM
I can't understand this, because as far as I know the Condas swallow dead prey, so how the alligator ripped the Conda belly???? Well after all I think I don't want to know.
Posted by: greenboy | October 10, 2005 at 07:27 AM
probably it was paralyzed while the python tried to swollow it and also maybe the snake had squeezed it you till it was alomost lifeless b4 it tried to swollow it. Something else another Alligator maybe probably eat the head off after it died or even b4 and thats y the alligator was able tofight back..just saing
Posted by: Mahalia | October 20, 2005 at 10:38 PM
ouch!
Posted by: Nichole | November 22, 2005 at 12:43 PM
there's a special on this coming out august 16th. check your local listings. pete is doing just fine. it appears the gator was in a fight, the python took advantage of a listless gator. then the python's digestive system went hello, there's a gator in your gut and slowed him down, making it listless, then bigger m-f gator comes along and makes short work of listless python, moving away sans meal after ripping the head of the python off and splitting the gut open, spilling out the original gator. that might freak me out too, to see one of my species spill out of the gut of something i'm attacking. ah, to have too many creatures at the top of the food chain.
it's a jungle out there. if you come to the everglades and see any pythons, for the love of pete, please run them over.
and stop letting them go ppl! isn't this ecosystem freakin' fragile enough?
Posted by: so yeah | August 12, 2006 at 07:56 AM
snakes on a plain...hyuk hyuk
Posted by: kat | September 03, 2006 at 11:05 AM
Mr. Snow Recently come to find out that there might be a program that is state subsidized in the control of this situation. Have a group of people that is willing to take on this situation. Contact with you would be appreiciated in knowing what direction to take from here. Waiting to here from you or someone concerned.
Posted by: randy | October 24, 2006 at 05:29 PM
anacondas do eat caimans so a a large python is capable of eating an alligator. the python probably caught the alligator off guard and successfully killed and ate it. after the python got done it needed to rest because it is weak and vulnerable. another gator came by and attacked the the python tearing into it and probably to its horror was surprised to see what came out! then as the snake was thrashing around it bit the snake's head off and went its way
Posted by: joe | December 04, 2006 at 05:38 PM
Disgusting. Really cool, but disgusting.
Posted by: j.brown | December 08, 2007 at 02:33 PM
Wow, I didn't know that was possible. Also, I cannot tell where the head and the end is. I am guessing that the head is that thing very far away, though...
Posted by: Ash | April 28, 2009 at 07:54 PM
I guess now it is old news, but here is another point of view about Burmese in the Everglades:
http://www.vpi.com/sites/vpi.com/files/On_Burmese_printed-version.pdf
Thanks
Posted by: Dave B. | June 25, 2009 at 10:51 AM
crap!
Posted by: bob | January 09, 2010 at 07:52 PM
one big honker shit
Posted by: bob | January 09, 2010 at 07:53 PM
i didn't think a python can do that. XD
Posted by: lilysmith10 | April 26, 2011 at 05:05 PM