A HUGE 20-foot cannibal alligator appeared to eat its love rival on a Florida golf course.
The beast, dubbed Grandpappy, can be seen carrying the smaller alligator in its mouth as he hauls it across the green.
The viral clip, initially uploaded by Lakeland resident Julie Marchillo Smith, was shared by the Everglades Holiday Park.
Experts warn that with the mating season approaching, cannibal male alligators may get aggressive and kill smaller rivals.
Alligator breeding season usually starts in April and mating season tends to begin in May and June.
Coleman M Sheehy III, of the Florida Museum of Natural History, told Newsweek that the male beast’s behavior was “totally normal”.
He said it’s “well-known” that large opportunistic predators will eat smaller alligators.
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Sheehy added: “Males get very territorial during mating season and this can lead to more aggression than normal towards other male alligators.”
Stunned Facebook users thought Grandpappy was just moving the smaller animal.
But, one said: “Sad that the big ones eat so many of the young. They really don’t have a chance unless they find another pond and there just aren’t enough places.”
Male alligators tend to grow up to 15 feet and the largest beast on record in Florida measured 14 feet 3.5 inches.
Alligators are known for living in Florida because of the Everglades and the state’s swampy marshes.
The chances of being attacked by the predator are one in about 3.2million.
American alligators tend to live between 30 and 50 years.
Earlier this month, we reported how a human arm was found in an alligator’s mouth in Martin County.
The remains belonged to 42-year-old Dustin Davis Mills, of St Lucie County.
Cops managed to identify the body parts using fingerprints from Mills’ hand which was found near a large alligator.
A biologist on routine patrol spotted the gator with the arm in its mouth and cops allegedly found additional human remains about a mile away.
Last month, renowned Mississippi hunter Doug Borries killed an alligator after livestock went missing.
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He stalked the 13ft beast as it roamed in a private lake in Vancleave, South Florida before firing the perfect shot.
The gunshot struck the alligator just above the eyes from around 290 meters away.
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