Alligators bite each other in brutal Florida standoff — and won’t let go, photos show
Two angry Florida alligators took their swamp fight to the next level by simultaneously biting each other and refusing to let go.
The bizarre standoff happened Nov. 2 in the 200-acre Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands and came to light when photos and video were posted on Facebook by Crystal Urban Rose.
Ninety minutes came and went, and the pair remained locked together, drawing blood as they chewed, Rose told McClatchy News. The site, also known as the Viera Wetlands, is about 55 miles southeast of Orlando.
“I was shocked ... startled. I heard the top alligator growl once right before biting down on the abdomen of the other gator. Scared the (poop) out of me,” she said.
“They took note of me and just tightened their grip. ... They were motionless, in a holding pattern. Even looked like one was napping. They just held onto each other. They were still like that when I left.”
Both were large, she says, one near 11 feet and the other about 13 feet.
What they were fighting about was a mystery. It’s not courtship season (April) and it’s not mating season (May or June), according to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Rose says she saw 15 alligators in total at the “ecotourism” attraction, and two others also appeared to be fighting. However, that was more splashing around than biting, she says.
Her photos and a video were shared on the Alligator of Florida Facebook page, where some among the 75,000 members suggested it was a territorial dispute, and may have ended with one dead or maimed. A video — only 8 seconds long — captures a brief moment of action, when one alligator bit harder, causing his opponent to flinch.
“Drawing blood. Serious confrontation!” Sue Shingle wrote.
“They will fight to kill if they have to,” Jessica Fleming posted.
“They’re resting in between violence,” one commenter said. “They (are) quickly exhausted but don’t want the other guy get the advantage so they’ll lock it down.”
Alligators are native to Florida and it’s estimated 1.3 million are spread across the state’s 67 counties.
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