Bird Eating a Gator: Watch a Blue Heron Swallow an Alligator
Russ Chastain 01.06.21
(Image: bird eating a gator, by Danny Gilliam)
The things you see in the great outdoors can be pretty amazing, which is why we encourage everyone to get outdoors where we belong. And if you have a good camera along, you can sometimes capture some of those amazing things to share with others.
That’s exactly what happened when Danny Gilliam recently spent some time around Lake Apopka, Florida and witnessed something few people will ever see in person: A bird eating a gator!
That’s right; Danny saw a great blue heron with a young alligator in its beak, and he proceeded to take a series of photos of the encounter. The big bird maneuvers its prey for a while, then gets the ‘gator lined up head-first in its mouth, and begins the not-so-speedy process of swallowing the reptile.
Naturally, the alligator wasn’t too happy about it, but the little guy was obviously powerless to protest with its feet, claws, and sharp teeth as the large heron got the best of it using nothing more than gravity and its beak.
The final photo of the series Danny published on Facebook (and generously gave me permission to share here) is super-cool, as you can make out where the gator’s rear leg is in the bird’s throat!
Next time I see a bird eating a gator, I’ll try to get some pictures as cool as these… but chances are good that’ll never happen, so I’ll just hape to enjoy Danny Gilliam’s great photography work. Thanks for sharing, Danny!
