Video Shows Alligator Flying High Into Air to Catch Unusual Prey
“Never seen anything like it in 30 years.”
A real estate agent in Palm Beach, Florida was left stunned after an alligator decided to attack some very expensive electronic equipment. Robert Rosetto was taking pictures of his girlfriend's boat via a camera-mounted drone when an alligator leaped out of the water, snatching the drone and eating it. "It was a brand-new drone I use for my real estate listings," Rosetto says, adding that his family "thought it was hilarious. My 11-year-old son thought it was the funniest thing ever." The entire incident was caught on camera—here is what happened to the alligator, and why it might have decided to attack the drone.
Rosetto was using the drone to take pictures of his girlfriend's boat when he realized there was an alligator lurking in the water. The gator had spotted the drone, and was clearly keeping an eye on it. Rosetto wanted to get better footage of the reptile, so he brought the drone down until it was hovering over the water. That's when the alligator decided enough was enough. Keep reading to learn what happened next and to see the video.
As soon as the drone was within reach, the alligator jumped out of the water and grabbed the drone between its jaws, much to the amusement of Rosetto's son. "I was trying to take some pictures of my girlfriend's family new boat, and the alligator showed serious interest in it coming directly towards it and then following it," he explained. "I then thought I'd get some good up-close video and pictures of the alligator."
Rosetto was shocked when the alligator actually went airborne to grab the drone. "Never thought it would actually launch itself that high out of the water and grab the drone," he says. "I've lived in Florida for almost 30 years and come across alligators frequently but have never seen anything like that."
Yes, alligators can jump—according to Wild Florida, alligators can leap up to six feet into the air from a position of rest. "An alligator's jump isn't just limited to jumping out of the water," the organization says. "They've been known to jump so they can get up to a tree branch faster and then climb to their prey. When hunting large animals, alligators usually have a bit of a disadvantage, being as they are so low to the ground. To make sure they have a chance of pulling a big animal like a deer down, the gator will jump aiming for the prey's neck in hopes of the animal losing its balance and falling."
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, there are approximately 1.3 million alligators in Florida and you never know where they could be lurking. "They can literally be in any puddle of water," says Boynton Beach resident Richard Cochran, who removed nuisance alligators for the state until 2021. "Not to scare people, but there are over a million of them and they are all around."
