Even though an alligator can exert a force of up to 2,900 pounds while biting, the reptile was unable to crack the turtle’s shell. Amazing pictures of the fight in the wild as the six-foot South American alligator tried to prise the shell open were caught.
The South American alligator attempted to crack the turtle’s shell for fifteen minutes without success. The eastern river cooter’s shell was able to shield it from the alligator’s receptacle’s pressure of thousands of pounds. While it was lying helpless in the alligator’s mouth, the eastern river cooter’s shell was able to protect it.
In Which Things Researchers Were Interested?
Researchers were interested in the design and evolution of the shell and they want to apply it to human armour. The turtle’s shell protects it from most predators but in order to get to the reptile’s body large animals such as alligators, jaguars, and crocodiles are able to crush the carapace.
According to experts the exact length of a shell depends on the size. Researchers have said that to avoid being eaten animals evolved their shells. In addition, tiger sharks can eat through turtles of all sizes, and other predators can pull a turtle out by nibbling around the softer edges of the armor. The protective shell is constructed of bone and is shielded by horns.
Ribs, vertebrae, and pieces of the shoulder and hip are all cemented together with bone plates. The shell’s form also increases its strength. Despite being powerless when in the alligator’s jaws, the turtle managed to survive because of its shell.
Who Captured The Fight?
American wildlife photographer Patrick Castleberry photographed the altercation. American wildlife photographer Patrick Castleberry, 51, captured the pictures and he said he was shocked to discover the turtle still alive after the alligator had abandoned it.
According to Mr. Castleberry, who was researching herons in Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp, “It was definitely turtle one, alligator nil.”I was photographing a great heron when I noticed what appeared to be a ball bouncing next to the water out of the corner of my eye. I soon recognized what it was and believed the alligator would ultimately prevail in the shell game.
When he finally gave up I walked towards the turtle expecting it to be dead. But I was amazed to find it alive and he was on its back. I flipped him and scrambled into the water. In order to get close to nature and capture it in all its untamed glory, the photographer frequently spends hours at a time outfitted in full camouflage.