Footage catches second cheeky alligator stalks and munches on ring digital camera

Amazing footage captured the moment a cheeky alligator stalked and attacked a ring camera.

The American alligator was seen at the National Reptile Zoo in Kilkenny, Ireland with its inquisitive nose just above the water. It then bared its 80 sharp teeth before lunging at the camera.

The images give an insight into what life would look like – likely the end of that life – if you were the prey being hunted by an alligator.

READ MORE: Police wrestle alligator on doorstep – how to fight one off if you face same problem

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Zoo manager James Hennessy joked the camera “did not survive the attack” after the full-blooded assualt by ‘Battle’ the alligator. James said: “After he pulled it down, it lay cracked open and submerged at the bottom of the pond overnight.”

Battle, his handlers say, likes to interact with the items in his habitat including basketballs and flower petals.

The 29-year-old mischievous reptile “likes to rearrange the rocks and substrate in his habitat, especially after we’ve cleaned it or put in new items”, James said.

James said he has long used Ring devices to keep a track on animals in the zoo and first used it to watch a highly venomous bushmaster snake. James use Live View and Motion Detection to watch the snake’s nocturnal behaviour and see it laying eggs.

Since, Ring has donated another 11 cameras to the zoo, which has over 50 animal species including geckos, poison dart frogs, tarantulas, scorpions, giant monitor lizards, pythons, alligators and crocodiles.

James said, “I can check on an animal from anywhere in the world. It has also given us a unique insight into what some of these animals are doing when we’re not looking. This opens up massive research opportunities, which in the long term will be beneficial for these animals in the wild.”

American alligators are only found in the wild in the US. According to the US-based National Wildlife Federation (NWF), they can grow up to 12 feet long and weigh up to 450 kilos.

The NWF said: “A long, powerful tail helps propel the animal through water, as do webbed feet. They are cold-blooded and depend on the natural world around them to provide warmth.

“To do this, they will bask in the sun or dig holes in mud to trap heat. Although American alligators can be hard to miss while basking on the shore, they can look eerily like logs when floating in the water.”

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