📽 by @mrt4kedatrisk Not sure what is up with this raccoon (I’m guessing its rabid) but the gator made it so that doesn’t matter anymore Animals like alligators are unable to contract the rabies virus because reptiles sit completely outside its usual host pool. A gator devouring a rabid raccoon will not contract the disease or pass it along through subsequent bites. Calling them immune is not entirely accurate, as saying they are not susceptible makes more sense given there is no actual infection for their immune defenses to fight off. While infected saliva or tissue might linger in the reptile’s mouth or stomach temporarily, it cannot take root, though the gator remains vulnerable to other bacteria, parasites, or toxins inside the meal. Rabies is dangerous because (in mammals) the virus travels through nerves to the brain and spinal cord, causing severe inflammation, confusion, paralysis, seizures, coma, and eventually death. It can remain symptomless for weeks or months, but once symptoms appear, the rabies virus has a 100% mortality rate, meaning urgent post-exposure treatment must begin before symptoms develop.