Burmese pythons have not just established a permanent breeding
population in South Florida but they also evolved into the everglades top
predators feeding on such dangerous prey like the American alligator.
Pythons are non venomous snakes and kill by constructing their prey, wrapping its
body around in a tight coil and until the animal dies of a afixation which usually
occurs within a few minutes.
But alligators are extremely powerful predators capable of slowing the heart
rate down to only a few beats per minute resulting in the python feeding on
its prey while still alive!
Such rarely documented feeding behavior can last for hours during this time the
python will become highly vulnerable to attack from other predators.
The python will try to swallow the alligator as fast as it can but the commotion also
will respond in the alligator trying to free itself from the deadly grip.
Such erratic movements could lead to serious internal injuries for the ravenous python.
The snake’s strong digestive juices with will brake down the entire alligator, including its
bones, claws and teeth within one week if the weather remains warm enough.
The chances of the python surviving such dangerous meals are clearly in favor of the
powerful sake. Nevertheless, it also has been documented that pythons die frequently
when consuming larger crocodilians, which above all
remains a python’s most challenging food source.