Apparently its a gator-eat-gator world out there, at least in South Carolina. We see lots of stories about gators here in the Lowcountry, but a viral story is trending all over after a cannibal alligator scarfed down another alligator in Murrells Inlet, SC, back on September 30th. That’s one mean Lowcountry gator.
This video (below) shot by Taylor Soper and shared to his Twitter account shows the massive reptile eating the other, which is also considered large at 6ft long itself. His video has received almost 5 million views.
Taylor captured the video from his parents’ backyard and shared the footage on Twitter. He said in reports that the smaller gator was at least six feet long. “I was absolutely blown away,” he told USA Today. “It’s a freaking dinosaur.”
We re-posted the video on our Facebook page yesterday and it was quite a hit among many of the 75,379 followers of Explore Beaufort.
Folks on social media are guessing that the massive gator was 12 to 13 feet long. They just might be right.
The brutal scene may be a bit shocking, but it’s definitely not unheard of, either. In fact, a 2011 study found that 6 to 7 percent of young alligators fall victim to cannibalism…just like this one did.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission researchers found that one hunter-harvested gator had eaten at least 14 other alligators alone. Researchers say that gator cannibalism is a survival mechanism that helps maintain population stability among larger gators, which are at the top of the food chain, while smaller gators can be preyed upon.
Alligators are considered “opportunistic feeders,” meaning they feed on a variety of prey and can adapt to whatever food is available. The most common gator foods include fish, turtles, wading birds, snakes, frogs, small mammals, and, yes, smaller alligators.
We bet you’ll remember this video the next time you see a Lowcountry gator.
This happened in my parents backyard today… The snack is a 6ft gator #lowcountrylivin pic.twitter.com/O7Omsw42uL
— Taylor Soper 🤙🏻 (@Soper_TandC) September 30, 2021
