The 8.5 meter long python tightened and broke all of the crocodile’s legs before slithering into the water and walking away.
Photographer Kevin Dooley, 58, is having lunch in the tropical swamps of Pantanal, Brazil. When he turned to look, he saw a python and an alligator engaged in a terrifying battle in the murky waters of the Amazon rainforest.
The python wrapped itself around the alligator, breaking all of its legs before the crocodile could turn around and sink its teeth into the python’s neck. However, the 8.5 meter long animal managed to slither out, into the water, leaving the badly injured crocodile. Then the poor crocodile died.
Anaconda pythons often kill their prey by squeezing around the prey until it suffocates. However, in this case, the python left while the crocodile was still alive. This proves it was attacked by the crocodile first.
Green Anacondas are the largest pythons in the world. It can be up to 9 meters long and weigh up to 250kg. Normal pythons can be longer but weigh only half as much as the largest anacondas.
Both the anacondas and the caiman live in the water bodies of Brazil. They use similar hunting tactics: lying low in the water with only 2 eyes protruding, waiting for prey to come close to attack. Although caimans eat almost anything they can kill, anacondas are not its favorite food.
Photographer Dooley didn’t watch from the start to see who attacked first, but the python proved to be the stronger one. It then slithered into the water and walked away, leaving the crocodile with all its legs broken and most likely dead.
