Tammy Shaw saw it happen on Aug. 4 in Silver Springs in Marion County. Shaw said she was paddling through the spring on her inflatable paddleboard when she came upon the encounter.
“I was fascinated just by the sheer size of the gator and the one he was eating,” Shaw said. “I wasn’t too afraid because he was obviously busy but when he went under the water, I was a bit concerned where he was gonna pop up.”
Shaw posted the video on a Facebook group called Alligators of Florida.
One commenter on the video said, “I never knew they would actually eat one of their own,” while another one chimed in, “Me either.”
The alligator, dubbed Big Head Fred, can be seen with a much smaller alligator in his jaws. The alligator then swings the smaller creature back and slams it into the ground. It is unclear whether the smaller alligator is already dead at the time, but it appears motionless.
Big Head Fred then swings the alligator back once again and pummels it to the ground.
This alligator has been known to eat other alligators before, and it is not uncommon for the reptiles to indulge in cannibalism.
Alligators may eat each other for multiple reasons. They are extremely territorial creatures, which can provoke them into killing and eating each other. Survival may be another reason for this behavior, depending on what other sources of prey are available.
Game, set, match. Big Alligator 1- Little alligator nil.
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I wonder if it's possible the little gator was already dead when found, and big boy is doing his part to keep the environment clean and neat...
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