www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9600151/

MIAMI - The alligator has some foreign competition at the top of the Everglades food chain, and the results of the struggle are horror-movie messy.

A 13-foot Burmese python recently burst after it apparently tried to swallow a live, six-foot alligator whole, authorities said.

The incident has heightened biologists’ fears that the nonnative snakes could threaten a host of other animal species in the Everglades.

“It means nothing in the Everglades is safe from pythons, a top-down predator,” said Frank Mazzotti, a University of Florida wildlife professor.

Over the years, many pythons have been abandoned in the Everglades by pet owners.

The gory evidence of the latest gator-python encounter — the fourth documented in the past three years — was discovered and photographed last week by a helicopter pilot and wildlife researcher.

The snake was found with the gator’s hindquarters protruding from its midsection. Mazzotti said the alligator may have clawed at the python’s stomach as the snake tried to digest it.

In previous incidents, the alligator won or the battle was an apparent draw.

“There had been some hope that alligators can control Burmese pythons,” Mazzotti said. “This indicates to me it’s going to be an even draw. Sometimes alligators are going to win and sometimes the python will win.”

It is unknown how many pythons are competing with the thousands of alligators in the Everglades, but at least 150 have been captured in the past two years, said Joe Wasilewski, a wildlife biologist and crocodile tracker.

Pythons could threaten many smaller species that conservationists are trying to protect, including other reptiles, otters, squirrels, woodstorks and sparrows, Mazzotti said.

Wasilewski said a 10- or 20-foot python also could pose a risk to an unwary human, especially a child. He added, however, “I don’t think this is an imminent threat. This is not a ‘Be afraid, be very afraid’ situation




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There are advantages to living in NY....

Quoted: Dupe Police Linky Now cole, the clique mob, and the govenor will have their revenge.

I'll tell you a little secret That duplicate topic rule originally had nothing to do with people starting threads about the same topic like in this case. It was meant to prevent people from starting numerous joke topics, like one guy posts that he hurt his arm at work and five guys start new threads as jokes similar to the first thread saying how they cut off their arm, smashed in their skull etc.

Quoted: Quoted: I'll tell you a little secret That duplicate topic rule originally had nothing to do with people starting threads about the same topic. So, what do us mortals do for fun?   Someday I was hoping to graduate from dupe police to mall ninja.  You are taking away that vital, important first step!

Check out what it actually says (one of my law school professors used to say "Reeeead the ruuuule" course that must've been the first day of the semester because I wasn't around much after that...)


Posting repeat topics with similar or slightly varying titles. While it may seem to be funny, the "spamming" of the community in this manner results in problems for users and management. (Multiple topics on important issues or discussions are acceptable, this only applies to topics which waste resources for no other reason except personal enjoyment or humor.)


You can always go to the EE and find btt violations or gun shop owners who are not paying for dealerships and IM me the links.

Someday we'll have "boring Arfkom story hour" and I'll reveal what this one really means:

7.) Posting topics or discussions with the desire to do the site or community harm. More specifically creating topics meant to disrupt the site's day to day management, disrupt member's resources, or disrupt the ability for the site to function normally

Quoted: So the search function stop working for site staff?

No, it is just that his chosen name fits him well.

Quoted: This is the second Staff dupe I've seen this morning.  Is this a prank or something?

I know if there are 3 in one day it's one of the signs of the apocolypse!

Quoted: I dont get the picture, can someone explain it to me. What is the long curved thing on the left? The other long, straight thing, on the right, looks like a gator busting out of a snake skin.   The curved thing looks like a long snake that ate something, but if the gator on the right is busting out of a snake then what is on the left?

The snake swallowed the gator, once it was inside the gator apparently ripped the snake open and the back 1/2 of the gator got out before it died (or as it died/after it died it's legs spasmmed and ripped the snake open). The back 1/2 of the gator is sticking out of a hole in the middle of the snake.