Viral: In a shocking video that has gone viral online, an entire alligator has been discovered inside a Burmese python in Florida. Worker at the national park in the Everglades reportedly caught the eighteen-foot python and put it to death. After removing the strangely enlarged reptile for an autopsy, they discovered inside its stomach a complete five-foot alligator.

The Everglades considers Burmese pythons to be invasive, and hundreds of them were removed from the area during August 2022 Florida Python Challenge. Geoscientist Rosie Moore first posted the historical video of the discovery on Instagram two years ago. It then made its appearance on other social media sites, such as Reddit. But since it was posted on X (formerly Twitter) yesterday, the same video has been viewed over 11 million times.

It displays the scientists assessing the python's stomach bulge prior to opening it. The alligator's entire body is then seen being removed from its stomach. The Burmese python's long lifespan and fast reproduction, combined with the subtropical climate of South Florida, have allowed the snake to successfully encroach on ecologically delicate regions like Everglades National Park. Because of the python's diverse diet, this presents a threat to a range of wildlife, according to Ms. Moore's post.

Burmese pythons were originally brought into the Unites States as pets, but since their release into the wild in the late 1970s, the snakes have become a threat to the Everglades. Because it has no natural predators, the snake feeds on other reptiles, birds, and mammals like white-tailed deer and raccoons. Though the actual number is unknown, there are reportedly well over 100,000 Burmese pythons in Florida.