A whole alligator has been found inside a Burmese python in Florida, as seen in a disturbing footage circulating on the internet. According to Newsweek, the 18-foot python was caught by national park workers in Everglades and euthanised it. They took the unusually swollen reptile for an autopsy and found a whole, 5-foot alligator in its stomach. Burmese pythons are considered invasive in Everglades and during the 2022 Florida Python Challenge held in August this year, hundreds of them were removed from the area.
The gruesome footage of the discovery was shared by geoscientist Rosie Moore on Instagram and it later appeared on other social media platforms like Reddit.
The footage shared on Instagram last Tuesday has been viewed more than 10 million times. It shows the scientists evaluating the bulge in python's stomach before opening it. They can then be seen removing the whole alligator from its stomach.
The geoscientist said that Burmese pythons are required to be euthanised in Florida. "Due to the the subtropical environment of South Florida, paired with the Burmese pythons long life span and rapid reproduction, these snakes have successfully invaded ecologically sensitive areas such as Everglades National Park. This poses a threat to a variety of wildlife, due to the python's wide dietary preferences," Ms Moore said in her post.
Burmese pythons, originally brought to the United States as pets, have become a threat to the Everglades since humans released them into the wild in the late 1970s.
The snake has no natural predators, and feeds on other reptiles, birds, and mammals such as raccoons and white-tailed deer.
The precise number of Burmese pythons in Florida is unclear, but according to Newsweek, the number is well over 100,000.
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