‘Wow, death roll.’ Video shows two Florida alligators ripping at each other in river

Two large alligators were recorded attacking each other in the Florida Everglades, and both resorted to the notorious death roll known to rip off body parts.

The aptly named wrestling move involves an alligator biting down on its opponent, then spinning repeatedly. It’s a tactic known to drown weaker prey and rip chunks of meat out of other gators.

Captain Wes Bedell of Naples-based On A Mission Fishing Charters recorded the video in mid-March as his boat passed tread waters in southwest Florida.

It shows two equally sized alligators were side by side on the bank, each trying to spin while holding the other in its jaws. “Wow, death roll. Wow,” Bedell is heard saying in the video.

The predators are seen rolling closer to the boat as the fight progresses, but then vanish below the surface in a spray of water and slapping tails. The 46-second video ends with just one resurfacing.

Bedell estimates the alligators were about 14 feet in length, and were likely fighting over turf, according to WOFL

“The winner is still on the shoreline with all of his pretty ladies,” he told the station. “I’ve also seen two back here in the previous weeks, one with no tail, one with no back leg.”

April is the start of courtship season for Florida’s alligators, and it is a time when males start searching for females, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports. Mating occurs in May or June, officials say.

Alligators and crocodiles are known to use the death roll and studies indicate it is part of the way they eat. (Both are found in south Florida.)

“Contrary to popular belief, crocodiles can’t chew, so they use a powerful bite coupled with a full-bodied twisting motion — a death roll — to disable, kill, and dismember prey into smaller pieces,” according to a 2019 study published in Ethology, Ecology & Evolution.

“Aggression between individual crocodylians can become quite intense, often involving bites and death rolls in establishing dominance or competition for females.”

This story was originally published April 11, 2024 at 1:06 PM with the headline "‘Wow, death roll.’ Video shows two Florida alligators ripping at each other in river."