Feb. 6, 2008 -- American alligators consume 23 percent of their own body weight in a single meal. To digest such a feast means they must divert gas-rich blood away from their lungs into their stomachs, new research has determined.

The findings, which scientists believe apply to all crocodilians, mean that croc and gator eating can be analogous to a 130-pound woman eating 30 pounds of beef -- bones, teeth and all -- in one sitting.

While young crocodilians will consume a lot of shellfish and fish, adults tend to go for large mammals and whole turtles, which are frequently found in adult alligator stomachs.