Python vs. Gator: Rare video captures battle to the death

A relaxing bike ride in Big Cypress turned into a wildlife sighting like no other for one Palm Beach Post reporter.

Joe Capozzi heard a series of splashes on Dec. 21 and — thankfully — he filmed what he found. He saw the feet and belly of a six-foot alligator splashing in and out of the water. Before long, it became clear the gator was being strangled by a Burmese Python more than twice its size.

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As Capozzi watched, occasionally switching the camera on and off, he saw Florida’s native predator decisively lose to the invasive reptile the state spends a significant amount of dollars and hours combating.

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The last time a gator and a python went to battle in South Florida, the 13-foot snake ended up split in two with the six-foot gator’s tail and hind legs poking out of the python’s busted belly.

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Python vs. Gator: Rare video captures battle to the death."