Friday, March 29, 2019

Alligators like to eat sharks

Researchers said there was evidence of alligators tangling with sharks as far back as the 1870s. Photograph: Svetlana Foote/Alamy https://gu.com/p/7dbcd/stw

Oliver Milman in New York

@olliemilman

Researchers find alligators preying on small sharks in Atlantic and Gulf

‘The frequency of one predator eating the other is really about size dynamic’

American alligators are frequently seen ambling around golf courses in Florida as players warily compete their rounds. But new research suggests the reptiles partake in a far more outlandish habit when away from the greens – eating sharks.

US researchers have documented instances of alligators preying upon small sharks along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. A study, published in the journal Southeastern Naturalist, claims to be the first scientific study of the largely unseen struggle between the two feared predators.

“The frequency of one predator eating the other is really about size dynamic,” said James Nifong, a researcher at Kansas State University. “If a small shark swims by an alligator and the alligator feels like it can take the shark down, it will, but we also reviewed some old stories about larger sharks eating smaller alligators.”

Nifong and his colleagues spent nearly 10 years studying alligators along the Florida and Georgia coasts, typically using lamps at night to view their nocturnal hunting activities. More than 500 alligators were caught and had their stomachs pumped to see what they had consumed.

Alligators typically eat fish, crustaceans and snails, but Nifong’s research found evidence that they had consumed three species of shark and a type of stingray. The sharks measured 3-4ft.

By looking at the historical record, Nifong saw there was evidence of alligators tangling with sharks as far back as the 1870s, but the observations were limited to an island off the Georgia coast, including one episode in which sharks attacked a group of alligators that were feeding on fish.

The new research found that shark-eating alligators are in fact found along the Atlantic coast of Georgia and Florida, around to Florida’s Gulf coast.

Although sharks prefer salt water and alligators are fresh-water-dwelling, Nifong said that sharks and rays could swim into freshwater and GPS tracking of alligators demonstrated that the animals were opportunistic enough to take advantage.

“Alligators seek out fresh water in high-salinity environments,” Nifong said. “When it rains really hard, they can actually sip fresh water off the surface of the salt water. That can prolong the time they can stay in a saltwater environment.”

More research is required to discover if alligator attacks on sharks are increasing, but interactions may be influenced by coastal development that has pushed alligators out of their estuarine habitats. This has put pressure on alligator populations.

“The findings bring into question how important sharks and rays are to the alligator diet as well as the fatality of some the juvenile sharks when we think about population management of endangered species,” Nifong said.

Link: Researchers find alligators preying on small sharks in Atlantic and Gulf ‘The frequency of one predator eating the other is really about size dynamic’

https://gu.com/p/7dbcd/stw

Man breaks in, jumps into crocodile pool

https://globalnews.ca/video/rd/1268466243931/?jwsource=cl

Image result for man swims into croc florida

Man breaks in, jumps into crocodile pool at Florida alligator farm

Surveillance video shows a Florida man being attacked by a crocodile after jumping into a pit at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm.

A Florida man broke into an alligator farm and spent hours splashing around in a pond full of crocodiles before being attacked by one.

Brandon Hatfield allegedly jumped a fence at St. Augustine Alligator Farm on Tuesday night and spent about four hours inside a crocodile pen before being attacked by a 12-foot reptile, CBS News reported.

Security footage shows the man jumping from the roof of a shed and into the pond before splashing around in the water for quite some time. The pond contained at least three large crocodiles. At one point, the video shows a crocodile lunging at the man, biting his leg before thrashing about in the water.

Hatfield is then seen limping in pain before climbing a fence to flee the area.

When staff arrived the next morning, they found a pair of shorts and Crocs sandals, before spotting blood. That’s when they called police.

Hatfield apparently didn’t get too far with his injured leg. A neighbour to the farm spotted the man limping around his property and called authorities.

“As soon as we encountered the guy, we knew something strange was going on,” the neighbour told CBS.

The man was taken to hospital for treatment before being taken into police custody.