Shocking video: 5-foot alligator found inside Burmese python in Florida
EVERGLADES, Fla. - WARNING: Video above may contain footage that some could find shocking or disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.
An entire alligator was found inside a massive Burmese python in Florida – and the video has gone viral on social media.
The clip was shared by geoscientist Rosie Moore on Instagram where it has racked up over 300,000 reactions. She told FOX 35 that the video was taken several months ago but that she just recently posted it online.
"This particular python was roughly 18-foot and had consumed a 5-foot alligator," Moore wrote on Instagram.
Moore says the python was found in the Florida Everglades but not in a national park. It was euthanized and turned over to the research lab for necropsy and scientific sample collection.
The footage shows several scientists evaluating a large bulge in the python's stomach before opening it up and getting a better picture of what was inside. The entire alligator is then removed from the python.
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Moore says that Burmese pythons are required to be euthanized in Florida and went on to say that "due to 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."
Florida recently held its annual Florida Python Challenge, which helps remove invasive Burmese pythons from south Florida. Since 2000, more than 17,000 wild Burmese pythons have been removed from the state of Florida.