‘Shocked’ tourists watch as alligator drags huge python carcass, Florida video shows
An alligator put on a grisly holiday show in Florida’s Everglades when it dragged the swollen carcass of a Burmese python past a group of stunned tourists, video shows.
Among those watching was tour guide Kelly Alvarez, who called it “one of the coolest, most impressive sights I have had the pleasure of seeing since working in Everglades National Park.”
It happened around 10:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving, and video shows the alligator gliding past the 70-foot-high Shark Valley Observation Tower with the python dangling from its jaws like pasta.
Alvarez rushed to record the moment, with her sunglasses held in her mouth.
“I was answering questions when I heard a child scream, ‘What is that?! At first, while my eyes were trying to focus on what I was seeing, I thought it was a log,” Alvarez told McClatchy News.
“I was shocked and absolutely amazed when I realized what it was. ... My entire tour had the amazing pleasure of being able to see it. They were all shocked, some were disgusted, the children were very excited.”
The state of the puffy carcass indicates it had been dead long enough to begin swelling, she said. The head was also missing, indicating the alligator may have ripped it off during their struggle.
“Usually, once an alligator has prey in his mouth, it’s more than likely not getting out,” Alvarez said.
The alligator stayed within view nearly three minutes as it made way to a sunbathing spot under the tower, she said.
Alligators up to 15 feet are a familiar sight in the Everglades, but Burmese pythons are not native to the state. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is working to eradicate the snakes, which eat small alligators and other native wildlife. The largest python found in South Florida was more than 18 feet long, FWC reports.
The python seen in the alligator’s jaws was definitely large, given the gator is estimated to be 12 feet in length, Alvarez said.
In fact, the carcass was apparently a Thanksgiving feast too big for one alligator to eat. It ended up being shared by a smaller alligator, according to frequent park visitor Alison Joslyn.
She posted photos showing the carcass was whittled down considerably three days later when it was seen floating 150 yards from the observation tower.
Both the alligators appeared to be “in a food coma” by then, she noted.
“That (smaller) gator was bulging at the sides and could hardly be bothered to open an eye as people stopped to look,” Joslyn told McClatchy News.
“The snake carcass was floating in the water maybe 5 to 8 feet further along the trail. Various people had spotted the snake in different places following Thursday. At one point it was on the path to the tower, at another point it was over by the Porta Potties.”
This story was originally published December 3, 2024 at 9:56 AM with the headline "‘Shocked’ tourists watch as alligator drags huge python carcass, Florida video shows."