We'd better warn you right away: the video you're about to see will likely oppose your appetite and might increase your phobia of snakes. In South Florida, scientists received the corpse of a python. The snake appeared to have eaten a large prey, but they didn't expect to find another predator in the snake's belly.
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A 1.5-metre alligator
The Burmese python that a team of scientists had to necropsy (i.e. perform a post-death surgery) was far from a small specimen. As Rosie Moore, the researcher who posted the video that went viral, points out, the animal in question was almost 5.5 metres long.
Upon receiving it, the scientists noticed that the python's belly was swollen. Had it eaten a deer or other prey of that size? Not at all! The video reveals that it was a 1.5-metre-long alligator that was gobbled up by the python. Even more surprisingly, the alligator, although dead, was almost intact, which means that its death just preceded the snake's capture.
Euthanised pythons
But why would scientists perform a necropsy on a Burmese python? According to Rosie Moore:
Burmese pythons must be euthanised in Florida. This python was euthanized by those who found it, and turned over to a research lab for a necropsy and the collection of scientific samples.
Rosie Moore is a scientist, professional diver, animal lover and model. She regularly posts her adventures on her Instagram account! In an interview with the Daily Mail, she states:
In media, female scientists are often portrayed as the shy, dorky characters. I think it's important for young women to see that is not the case, and that being a scientist can actually be a cool thing to aspire to be,
In that sense, I think I do a decent job of showing off both sides of my life and maintaining my feminine qualities while still being able to put my field gear on and go out and get dirty for some data collection.
This article was translated from Gentside FR.
Sources used:
-Daily Mail: EXCLUSIVE: Disgusting moment 5ft alligator is pulled out of 18ft Burmese python's STOMACH in Florida - as geoscientist bikini model says monster snake was euthanized to stop it dominating wildlife
