IF YOUR PERCEPTION of otters is of laid-back little animals who look cute in photos, prepare to have your world rocked.
A photographer at a wildlife refuge in Florida got these pictures of a large otter chomping into the back of an alligator and killing it.
The pictures were taken in 2011 by photographer Geoff Walsh but were posted on the Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge Facebook page this week. The giant wildlife park is made up of thousands of acres of marsh and swamps.
Reptile expert Terry Philip told National Geographic that otters are “voracious predators” who are at the top of the food chain in most places where they live.
Biting the alligator in the neck from behind is a clever trick which stops the alligator from being able to fight back in the way that it usually would, by swinging its head from side to side as it fights, Philip said.
Otters tend to eat their prey alive with their sharp teeth so it’s likely the alligator would have been stripped of its meat shortly after the pics were taken.
Lesson learned: Don’t EVER mess with an otter.
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