Villagers in Brazil have discovered the remains of a missing farm worker inside a 13ft alligator.
Adilson de Oliveira, 47, disappeared on July 28 while camping with other labourers along the banks of the Javae River, in Tocantins, central north Brazil.
It was thought at the time that Mr. Oliveira had been dragged into the water and eaten by a large alligator, leading to a hunt for the beast.
The following day villagers tracked down an animal they believed was responsible and killed it.
Inside its stomach they found bones, skin, hair, and flesh which was sent away to a forensic lab for testing.
Test results released on Tuesday by Palmas Forensic Medical Institute confirmed the remains belonged to Mr. Oliveira.
The tests suggest was eaten around a fortnight ago by the fearsome beast, also known as a black caiman.
Mr. Oliveira, from Belo Horizonte, south east Brazil, was working on a farm in the area and had set up camp with other labourers on the river shore when he is believed to have been attacked and dragged into the murky depths.
Black caiman, one of the largest species of alligator, are indigenous to the Brazilian Amazon and were once almost hunted to extinction.
They are now protected by strict anti-hunting laws which has seen numbers rise, though are still the target of poachers.
Black caiman have a wide-ranging diet that includes fish, other reptiles and rodents. They have been known to eat capybara, which can grow up to 4ft long.
The alligators are considered among the most dangerous to humans, with 46 attacks recorded in the last five years, according to the Worldwide Crocodilian Attack Database.
The vast majority of those attacks took place in Brazil, with 11 proving fatal.
Adilson de Oliveira, 47, disappeared on July 28 while camping with other labourers along the banks of the Javae River, in Tocantins, central north Brazil.
It was thought at the time that Mr. Oliveira had been dragged into the water and eaten by a large alligator, leading to a hunt for the beast.
The following day villagers tracked down an animal they believed was responsible and killed it.
Inside its stomach they found bones, skin, hair, and flesh which was sent away to a forensic lab for testing.
Test results released on Tuesday by Palmas Forensic Medical Institute confirmed the remains belonged to Mr. Oliveira.
The tests suggest was eaten around a fortnight ago by the fearsome beast, also known as a black caiman.
Mr. Oliveira, from Belo Horizonte, south east Brazil, was working on a farm in the area and had set up camp with other labourers on the river shore when he is believed to have been attacked and dragged into the murky depths.
Black caiman, one of the largest species of alligator, are indigenous to the Brazilian Amazon and were once almost hunted to extinction.
They are now protected by strict anti-hunting laws which has seen numbers rise, though are still the target of poachers.
Black caiman have a wide-ranging diet that includes fish, other reptiles and rodents. They have been known to eat capybara, which can grow up to 4ft long.
The alligators are considered among the most dangerous to humans, with 46 attacks recorded in the last five years, according to the Worldwide Crocodilian Attack Database.
The vast majority of those attacks took place in Brazil, with 11 proving fatal.
Music: "Cambodian Odyssey" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: Correio Braziliense, Mirror , Daily Mail
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