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Watch: Alligator turns into smoke-billowing dragon after chomping down on drone

Sep 3, 2021 by Alex Baker 7 Comments

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An almost unbelievable video showing a Florida alligator ingesting a drone has gone viral this week. The TikTok video shows a small drone (the DJI Spark) hovering extremely close to the alligator’s mouth. The alligator, quick as lightning, snaps up the drone and holds it in its jaws. Smoke starts billowing out of the alligator’s mouth, appearing to be on fire.

The TikTok user @devhlanger posted the video clip online earlier this week while on a tour of the Everglades and is captioned “Trying to get a close up of this alligator in the Everglades… Wait till he chews through the drone’s battery.” He then explains “we were trying to get a close up of the gator with its mouth open and thought the obstacle avoidance would make it fly away. It was only the 2nd time using the Spark”. Presumably, the sensitive lithium battery inside the device didn’t take kindly to being eaten by a gator and exploded in its mouth.

https://www.tiktok.com/@devhlanger/video/7002206468816555269?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1

After some speculation on Twitter and many comments pointing out that National Parks are no-fly zones for drones due to disturbing the wildlife (and presumably not setting said wildlife on fire). The original poster clarified that he was outside of the National Park and so wasn’t in fact breaking any laws regarding drone flying. Many people have pointed out that he was in fact flying far too close to the alligator allowing it to snap up the drone in an unexpected attack. You can see from the video that they are probably correct. Drones, in general, can make a lot of noise and disturb wildlife, as DIYP reported earlier this year when a reckless drone pilot caused 1500 eggs to be abandoned by nesting birds.

‘George’ the alligator, as he’s become known, was apparently fine after the incident. “George is doing fine and still looked hungry after,” says @devhlanger. He continues “[it was] accidental…direct your anger towards alligator farms.” 

I am inclined to agree with other Twitter users that he was flying dangerously close to unpredictable wildlife, putting the animals and potentially themselves in danger. Possibly piloting a drone only twice before is not ample opportunity to really be in control of the device to be flying in such tricky circumstances. Really it was bound to end badly, one way or another. 

While I would prefer not to run into an alligator after dark (or in daylight actually thinking about it!), they are pretty fascinating creatures. The apex predators also eat fruit (as well as drones), are brilliant mothers, and play an important role in their wetland ecosystems by creating small ponds known as alligator holes. These holes retain water during the dry season and provide habitats for other animals. I hope ‘George’ goes on to live a long and healthy life and avoids digital aperitifs in future.

What do you think? Was the drone pilot being reckless?

[via NY Post]

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Filed Under: news Tagged With: Alligators, drone, drones, wildlife photography

About Alex Baker

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

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Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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