Watch as large alligator clamps its jaws on rival gator in North Carolina pond

The rarely witnessed moment of a alligator killing its rival was caught in a coastal North Carolina pond.

It happened Saturday, June 29, near Winnabow and involved a bull named Popeye known to rule the pond, according to wildlife photographer Kathy Sykes. Winnabow is about a 145-mile drive south of Raleigh.

The attacker is an 11-foot “dragon king,” and the victim was clearly a younger gator of about 7 feet, she says.

“That smaller gator was swimming for its life but Popeye‘s massive size and strength overpowered it. Some distance away, I heard a sickening splash and knew the outcome,” Sykes wrote in a Facebook post.

“I was transfixed, unable to look away, viewing the unimaginable. Yes, I know alligators are cannibalistic. Yes, I know big bulls fiercely defend their territory but I wasn’t prepared to witness the scene unfolding before my very eyes.”

Much of the struggle played out below the surface, but Sykes was recording as the larger alligator surfaced with its rival gripped by the neck.

The smaller male was still alive, but paralyzed and clearly helpless. The 15-second video ends with the two slowly sinking below the surface.

“I heard a 7 footer emit that all too familiar electronic cry that hatchlings make calling for their mama. It was several octaves lower and much weaker, but unmistakably a plaintively cry for help,” she said. “I hung around long enough to see its limp body.”

Sykes initially feared the bull had senselessly attacked and killed a beloved (and spunky) female named Olive. However, the carcass was confirmed to be that of a male, she says.

“I have been shooting this particular (male) gator for over 15 years and have witnessed him charging others innumerable times, (but) never saw him kill,” Sykes told McClatchy News in an interview. “It’s so instantaneous. It’s unfathomable the speed of these attacks.”

This story was originally published July 4, 2024 at 6:38 AM with the headline "Watch as large alligator clamps its jaws on rival gator in North Carolina pond."