Scientists cut open Burmese python to find whole alligator inside

ByJeanne Moos, CNN
Sunday, November 13, 2022
Scientists cut open Burmese python to find whole alligator inside
A python's last big meal was a doozy. Look what scientists found when they opened him up.

A python's last big meal turned out to be quite a doozy.

You might not believe what scientists in Florida found when they opened him up.

The scientists at a Florida lab could feel something big inside the dead 18-foot Burmese python, so they cut it open. A necropsy, it's called.

"I actually thought it was pretty gross too and I'm used to necropsies and things," said scientist Rosie Moore.

Moore was one of the scientists investigating the snake's diet.

A look at what was on the python's menu, was a 5-foot dead but still fairly intact alligator.

RELATED: Florida teen captures 28 Burmese pythons, gets top prize

"Oh my gosh. We were taking breaks running outside trying to get some fresh air. I've never smelled anything like that," Moore said when asked if it had a terrible smell.

As one commenter joked, "Congratulations, your python is pregnant with an alligator."

Florida encourages people to kill Burmese pythons because they eat so many other species and reproduce rapidly.

"It's commonly referred to as a 'python invasion,'" Moore said.

ALSO SEE: Record-breaking python caught in Florida measured in at 17.7 feet, 215 pounds

The alligator inside the python video on Moore's Instagram page went viral.

And the photos of the scientist looking like a Bond girl in a bikini probably didn't hurt viewership. She models part time, and likes the idea of changing the image of female scientists.

"Women in science are always portrayed as dorky, nerdy, shy," Moore said.

However, not this woman in science. She dives into her job with passion.

The alligator in the snake taught Moore a new word: turducken.

"Yes, I had to look that up," Moore said.

RELATED: Florida scientists to study if it's safe to eat pythons

Someone suggested, "Shoulda just cooked the whole thing! Woulda been some kinda creepy cajun version of a turducken."

A turducken is a turkey stuffed with duck and chicken. So maybe, we'll just call this a "py-gator-thon." Not that it's making anyone hungry.