Anhinga’s Fresh Catch

This female anhinga caught a catfish that looks almost too big to swallow. She kept adjusting the fish in her beak, perhaps tenderizing it with each chomp, ultimately lining it up to go down the hatch. As she juggled her prey, it was fun to watch.

Female anhinga with catfish in beak, Shark Valley, Everglades National Park, Florida.

Here is another view:

This catfish will soon see the inside of an anhinga, Shark Valley, Everglades National Park.

Which Gator Ate the Python?

When I biked the trail in Shark Valley, Everglades National Park yesterday, I saw more large alligators than I could begin to count. Which one, I wondered, ate the huge Burmese Python (a problematic invasive species) recently?

When I spotted this enormous alligator, I had a suspect. His belly looks very full, and it looks like he may be resting while the large meal digests. He looks mighty enough to have taken on the python and won the battle, don’t you think?

I took this photo with a 200mm Nikon lens from about 15 feet away, and I did not linger. The image is also cropped, making it appear that I was closer than I actually was. Alligators are dangerous, and they move very fast when they attack.

Here is a second image of this massive alligator in Shark Valley, part of Everglades National Park. He appears to be resting after a recent meal.