Watch This Adorable Yet Terrifying Baby Gator Death Roll

Quick Take

• Baby alligators can perform one of nature's most violent moves without ever being taught, and the reason why might surprise you. See the instinct explained →
• Alligators' teeth aren't what actually make them deadly, and there's a strange anatomical truth behind why the death roll even exists. Discover the anatomy behind it →
• The death roll isn't just for killing. Alligators use it for at least one other purpose most people never consider. Explore its other uses →
• A baby gator on video proves that some survival instincts are hardwired from birth, which turns out to be true for a few other surprising animals you'd recognize as well. Watch the baby gator proof →

Alligators are powerful creatures that can inflict serious injury to their prey. Their infamous death roll tears chunks off of prey that is too large to swallow whole. Surprisingly, this behavior is a largely instinctive one that even babies do! The infamous alligator death roll can be seen in this Instagram post by @brutamerica, and it’s both cute and scary. Read here to learn more.

Alligator Death Rolls

Alligators have some pretty gruesome ways of killing and eating their prey. One of the most famous examples is the death roll, a rapid spinning motion alligators perform when they have prey clamped in their jaws. Alligators have blunt teeth that are made for grabbing and not for slicing, which makes it difficult for the reptiles to sever food. The death roll motion is used specifically for tearing meat off the body. They primarily do this when prey is too large to swallow whole, in an effort to create smaller, more manageable pieces. Death rolls are also used to subdue prey or free themselves of restraints like nets.

In the video above, a baby is performing the death roll, but on a much smaller scale. The slice of meat is clearly too large for it to eat whole, so it is practicing the death roll to tear off tiny chunks. Baby alligators do not need to be taught this maneuver, as it is largely instinctual, the way sea turtle hatchlings know to move towards the ocean and spiders know how to spin webs. Both alligators and crocodiles practice the effective motion, along with a few other animals. Adult gators roll quickly and intensely, and it’s not uncommon to see limbs twisted off prey in the wild. The name ‘death roll’ is fitting, given how deadly and gruesome the maneuver can be.