Alligator Crushed by Tree—Here's How It Happened
An incredible photo shows the powerful impact of hurricanes on wildlife.
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? What if it lands right on top of an American alligator?
The question is more than hypothetical for one large reptile flattened by a falling tree in Georgia’s Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge. Maintenance crews discovered the remains of the unfortunate beast this June when they traveled to Wassaw Island to remove debris from Hurricane Matthew, which struck in October 2016.
The area looked like a colossal game of Pick-Up Sticks following the storm, says Joel Vos, who coordinates environmental education for the refuge.
“It was just trees on top of trees on top of trees,” says Vos.
On top of alligators, apparently.
“This
