Surviving Alligator Attacks: Essential Tips for Safety and Prevention

Alligator Attack Survival Tips

The state of Florida has over one million alligators within its borders. As the population expands, the American alligator’s habitat grows smaller.

Florida has only averaged about eight fatal alligator attacks over the last ten years; only a few result in death. Under 25 since records started being kept back in 1948. There are a few survival tips to keep you from falling prey to these ancient reptiles.

Tips and Strategies to Survive an Alligator Attack

Here are a few of the most effective tips and strategies to help you survive an alligator attack.

From understanding their behavior to practical safety measures, learn to navigate encounters with these formidable predators and ensure your safety in their natural habitat.

Run Away

If you’re in the water and you see an alligator approaching you. Quickly move towards shore and get out of the water immediately.

As soon as you get on dry land, run to safety like your life depends on it because it might very well be. Alligators can lunge quickly and are known to read speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. Although most humans can outrun them, you shouldn’t leave it up to chance. Most of the time, if a gator thinks they will have to work too hard, they’ll move on and wait for easier prey.

Your goal is to get out of their territory. Run straight to safety; there is no need to zig-zag. Experts state an alligator will typically give up the chase and head back to the safety of water once you’ve distanced yourself about 25′ away.

Don’t Be an Easy Meal

It sounds like common sense, but don’t try to feed alligators. Don’t play, tease, or even approach them.

In Florida, feeding gators is against the law. The more people engage with these creatures, the less they fear interacting with humans. You should avoid swimming in freshwater areas, ponds, lakes, and streams where alligator activity is high between dusk and dawn.

Keep an eye on children; all gators know is they closely resemble small animals, which resemble their regular meals. The summer mating season is a time to be extremely careful. Alligators tend to be more aggressive (and hungry) with all the extracurricular activities and egg-laying.

Be Animated

You cannot get away if you are in a survival situation, face-to-face with an alligator. It’s time to stand your ground and fight.

Experts in the field from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) say, “Fight back and make as much noise as possible; be animated and loud. Kick and hit the alligator with everything you have.”

If you happen upon an alligator attack, make loud noises by yelling or clapping. This may interrupt the gator’s plans and scare it away from its prey.

Target the Nose and Eyes

An alligator has callous skin, like a natural armor protecting the creature from enemies.

There are a few vulnerable spots on an alligator’s head that you can target in case you find yourself in a survival situation. Kick or hit a gators snout as hard as you can, you can also poke them in the eyes. Hit hard and fast, as your life may depend on it. You can also jam your fingers in a gator’s nose.

In May of 2017, a ten-year-old girl was playing in about two feet of water in an Orlando lake when an alligator attacked her. She repeatedly hit the gator in the head with no success and then finally stuck two fingers in its nose so it couldn’t breathe. The alligator let her go, and she can now tell the story to others.

All About Alligators

American alligators are pretty scary as they are, but scientists are making discoveries every day about the ancient reptilian ambush predators that only add to their frightening repertoire.

Check out these fantastic and terrifying facts about American alligators.

• Alligators have a powerful bite at 2960 pounds of force, one of the most potent bites for a living animal.
• They can eat about 23 percent of their body weight in one sitting.
• Adult alligators have no problem eating younger, smaller alligators.
• Their stomach acids have a pH of less than 2; most prey is digested in two to three days.
• Alligators aren’t strict carnivores. They will eat fruit when they get the chance.
• They are good climbers and have been found perched in small trees and on fences, looking for better basking spots.
• Male alligators can grow to be 9.8 – 15 ft. (Adult), and females grow to be approximately 8.5 ft. (Adult).
• There are over 1.3 million alligators in the state of Florida.
• An alligator can swim at 20 mph and run 11 mph on land but cannot maintain that land speed very long.
• Never assume one lying in the road is dead or try to remove it. Sometimes, they lie on roads because the asphalt is hot.
• Alligators can shoot out of the water onto the shore like a bullet.
• The minimum distance you should stay from an alligator is 50 feet.