How does the Chinese Alligator capture its prey?
All crocodilians and alligators are ambush predators. They wait patiently till the prey comes close to the striking distance and then pounce on their prey. The alligators know what size of prey they can pin down and act accordingly. They drag the prey into the water and hold till the animal is drowned to death. If smaller animals, they just try to crush the neck and then drag to the bottom of the water bodies. If the prey is huge they attempt to break the legs, and then eventually the neck. If prey is not mouthful, swallowed after crushing bones (not chewing). If prey is huge, it grasps the prey and does the death rolls to tear of chunks enough to fill the mouth. On the other hand, if the prey is too agile or offers too much resistance or hurts the alligator, it is left free, as the predator cannot afford wounds or loss of energy. Prey ranges from rodents (rats and mice) to deer and antelopes. They also scavenge and eat the rotting dead if circumstances necessitate. The crude jungle la
