On a Florida golf course, a 20-foot cannibal alligator appeared to devour its love rival.
The beast, dubbed Grandpappy, can be seen hauling the smaller alligator across the green in its mouth.
The Everglades Holiday Park shared the viral video, which was originally uploaded by Lakeland resident Julie Marchillo Smith.
Experts warn that as mating season approaches, cannibal male alligators may become aggressive and kill smaller competitors.
The breeding season for alligators typically begins in April, with mating season beginning in May and June.
The Florida Museum of Natural History’s Coleman M Sheehy III told Newsweek that the male beast’s behaviour was “totally normal.”
He stated that large opportunistic predators will eat smaller alligators, which is “well-known.”
“Males get very territorial during mating season, and this can lead to more aggression than normal towards other male alligators,” Sheehy added.
Surprised Facebook users assumed Grandpappy was simply moving the smaller animal.
“Sad that the big ones eat so many of the young,” one said. They don’t stand a chance unless they find another pond, and there simply aren’t enough of them.”
Male alligators can grow to be 15 feet long, and the largest alligator ever recorded in Florida measured 14 feet 3.5 inches.
Because of the Everglades and the state’s swampy marshes, alligators are known to live in Florida.
One in every 3.2 million people will be attacked by the predator.
American alligators have a life expectancy of 30 to 50 years.
Earlier this month, we reported on the discovery of a human arm in the mouth of an alligator in Martin County.
The remains belonged to Dustin Davis Mills, 42, of St Lucie County.
Cops used fingerprints from Mills’ hand, which was discovered near a large alligator, to identify the body parts.
A biologist on routine patrol noticed the gator with the arm in its mouth, and cops allegedly discovered more human remains about a mile away.
Doug Borries, a well-known Mississippi hunter, killed an alligator last month after it attacked livestock.
Before firing the perfect shot, he stalked the 13-foot beast as it roamed a private lake in Vancleave, South Florida.
From about 290 metres away, the gunshot struck the alligator just above the eyes.
