'That's gnarly': Video captures alligator parading massive python through Everglades water

Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY

December 3, 2024 at 11:27 a.m.·2 min read

Kelly Alvarez was giving her usual tour in the Everglades National Park on Thanksgiving morning, when one of the children in her group started screaming about something in the water.

From their position in the observation tower at Shark Valley, the group could see the surrounding waters. At first, Alvarez couldn't understand what the children were asking about.

"I thought it was a log floating on the surface of water or something like that," Alvarez told USA TODAY in an interview Monday. "Then I noticed the alligator moving it."

Alvarez recognized the alligator informally known as Godzilla, as he frequently suns himself near the observation tower. She was shocked to realize he was carrying a dead python in his mouth, one that trailed far past the length of his body.

Video shows 12-foot alligator dragging python in Everglades

"I have seen many alligators eating pythons out here....I have never, ever, ever seen a python that large," Alvarez said.

Study: Burmese pythons pose greater threat to Florida wildlife than previously realized

Burmese pythons are an invasive species that have bulldozed through Florida's native species, throwing off prey populations as they eat nearly everything in their path. The longest python that has been caught in Florida measured 19 feet long.

Alvarez estimates that Godzilla, the alligator, is 10 feet long at a minimum, though she suspects he is closer to 12 feet long, if not a few inches longer.

The video Alvarez captured that day shows the alligator from the view of the tower. The alligator slithers through the water holding a bloated snake with the ends missing in its mouth.

"That's so gnarly!" Alvarez said in the video.

She later explained that alligators typically hold onto large prey for as long as a couple of weeks while it rots and becomes easier to break apart, which may explain why the snake is so bloated.

From where the alligator holds the snake partway down, it floats along either side, with one end far-surpassing the tail of Godzilla. This led Alvarez to estimate the snake to be at least 20 feet long, which would make it one of the largest found in the Everglades, if accurate.

"You know it's something serious when it's something we haven't seen before," another tour guide can be heard saying in the background of the video.

Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com, and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video captures Everglades alligator carrying massive python in water

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Video shows 12-foot alligator dragging python in Everglades

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