As an opportunistic predator, the American alligator will eat almost anything when hungry, including other alligators and carrion.
Dawn Jawman captured footage of an American alligator dragging a dead alligator across Lake Apopka in late July. Video : Dawn Jawman
Dawn Jawman captured footage of an American alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis ) dragging a dead alligator on Lake Apopka in Central Florida, Earth Touch News reported on August 25. Not long before, a video of a similar case - a live alligator dragging the tail of a dead alligator (which had turned white) on Lake Apopka - was also shared on Facebook.
American alligator with white carcass in Lake Apopka in early July. Video: Meagan Tallman
Given the “long dead” appearance of the dragged alligators and their similar size to the living ones, these cases were scavenging rather than active hunting. American alligators, like many other crocodiles, do prey on their own kind, but there are often significant size differences. Cannibalism is even a major cause of death for juvenile alligators.
"It's rare for large alligators to kill and eat others of similar size. Usually, large alligators will eat much smaller ones. The telltale sign in these videos is the degree of bleaching of the dead alligators. If the alligator's skin is this color, it means it has been dead for a while and has been exposed to the sun," said Dr. Adam Rosenblatt, an ecologist at the University of North Florida who has extensively studied American alligators and their black caiman ( Melanosuchus niger ) cousins.
Alligators are just as happy with dead meat as they are with live meat, even happier because it's essentially a free lunch. "The bottom line is that alligators are always up for an easy meal, and there aren't many things easier than a big alligator carcass," Rosenblatt added.
It is likely that most of the wildlife that shares the same habitat as American alligators will eventually become food for them, even after death. Experts have even documented alligators dragging turtle carcasses from beaches into freshwater wetlands and climbing ashore to collect wild boar carcasses.
American alligators live mainly in the rivers, lakes and swamps of the southern United States. Their prey usually includes fish, turtles, snakes and small mammals. However, they are opportunistic predators and will eat almost anything when hungry, including carrion, other alligators and pets. Measuring between 2.6 and 4.6 m in length and weighing up to 450 kg, American alligators are considered dangerous to humans.
Thu Thao (According to Earth Touch News )
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