Watch protective mama alligator leap at raccoon in wild moment caught on trail camera

Trail camera footage from Oklahoma proves that even the most serene-looking lake in the southeastern part of the state can host a mouth full of sharp teeth.

The footage, recorded Saturday evening in McCurtain County, shows the jump-scare moment a raccoon discovered it was wading inches from the mouth of an alligator. Worse still, the determined alligator was guarding a nest of babies.

In the video, filmed at Red Slough Wildlife Management Area, the raccoon is seen poking around in the water, clearly not aware alligator eyes are sticking just above the surface about two feet away.

The gator is seen seconds later swinging its heard around with jaws wide, as the raccoon leaps to safety.

It was a close call. However, the raccoon foolishly returns seconds later and appears to tease the alligator before being run out of the water a second time.

Red Slough Wildlife Management Area is 5,814 acres of wetland managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Trail cameras have been stationed in the area to monitor the winter brooding behavior of alligators. In recent months, footage has shown the same alligator warding off an opossum and battling six otters that dove into the pond to reach her babies.

Dr. Jared Wood, an associate professor of biology at Southwestern Adventist University, has been working “on and off” with the alligator study since 2009. Just over 30 adult alligators live in the wildlife area.

“This population is remarkable because these alligators have to deal with temperature extremes and environmental pressures that are not typically observed in other parts of their range,” Wood said in an email to McClatchy News.

“We want to figure out why and when they choose to defend or move their young. Furthermore, we want to better understand how mother alligators respond to different species of predators, and how time of day, temperature, etc. influence these interactions.”

This story was originally published April 8, 2020 at 8:32 AM with the headline "Watch protective mama alligator leap at raccoon in wild moment caught on trail camera."