The thought of a home invasion makes my heart stop. Having to face something like that would be absolutely terrifying. And, while I think it's pretty common that alligators are also quite scary, I think this Florida mom might have breathed a pretty big sigh of relief seeing them rather than armed robbers at her home.
As reported by People, that's the exact fear she had. Kayla Burress of Ave Maria had heard something no-one, especially not a parent, would want to hear. A loud crash had happened on her porch, while her baby was sleeping just a few feet away.
She recalled, "I thought somebody was breaking in." Well, it wasn't somebody, but something. And I think it would've been at least a little bit entertaining to watch.
That's because she found two large alligators roughing it up on her porch. One had smashed straight into her porch screen, leading the metal mesh twisted beyond belief.
The brawl left blood smeared on the floor and walls of her porch - nasty stuff. She explained, "It definitely looked like they were fighting over territory... It wasn't like a mating ritual that I had seen, because there was blood, and it had some hind quarters, like in its jaws through the door."
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Why Do Alligators Fight?
But, according to a factsheet by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, alligator fighting is a pretty common thing. It's most likely to happen in spring, where the mating season begins, through to autumn.
These fights can happen for a number of reasons, according to the Reptile Room. The first reason, which was likely what happened at Burress's home, is fighting over territory. Male alligators are typically very "solitary and territorial" - a group of alligators together is normally females.
Another reason is just that they're plain hungry. Alligators have been known to eat smaller alligators if they need to. While cannibalism sounds pretty insane, it does happen - normally to smaller alligators.
And the third reason is, as the FWC suspected, breeding season. Males will fight to the death to court a female alligator.
In any case, we're just glad everyone's okay!
