The Dreaded Floridan Reptiles

It isn’t uncommon to hear about the occasional alligator attack in Florida, yet it still makes a shiver run down your spine whenever a particularly gruesome case flashes in the headlines. What happened on September 24, 2023, was no exception.

 

On that day, a passer-by happened to notice the remains of a 41-year-old woman’s lower torso clenched in the jaws of a 4-metre alligator. It was reported that the woman was likely attacked by the alligator and dragged into a nearby canal.  Prior to the occurrence, there had been various sightings of alligators in the area, but a reptile of this size is a first. Many more similar cases have occurred in the past. 

 

In 2018, a 2-year-old boy was killed by an alligator after being dragged by the reptile into a nearby lake at the Disney World Florida hotel, and an additional 11 alligators had to be removed from the premises in the same week. In general, the amusement park had been forced to expel over 200 alligators in the time period spanning between 2006 and 2015. It is also worth mentioning that in 2016, Florida’s government recorded over 23 unprovoked fatal attacks on human victims. This alarming rate of violence poses a cardinal question: should something be done about these reptiles?

 

Alligators are a native species to Florida, dependent on the warm, humid climate. They occupy slow-paced, fresh-water rivers as well as lakes, swamps, and wetlands, the most notorious of which is the Everglades. In the state alone, their population is estimated to be around 1.3 million; if compared to its human population of 22.57 million, it could be stated that there is one alligator for every 17 people. To put the matter into perspective, female alligators tend to grow up to 3 metres in length, whereas males are able to grow much larger, with the record length recorded being 4.3 metres (the equivalent of 2 Shaquile O’Neils).

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On average, alligators can be effectively avoided by steering clear of vegetation-filled bodies of water and, if spotted, leaving the animal alone. However, after bad weather, alligators may be scattered across many different locations, including roads, swimming pools, and even backyards. The reptiles are incredibly agile in their natural element, able to swim at an impressive speed of 32 kilometres per hour; when the streets are flooded, nothing stops them from swimming for exceptionally long distances across a city. It isn’t particularly helpful that alligators are also known to be adept climbers, able to scale fences up to 4 metres high. This unexpected proximity often evokes panic and causes people to act irrationally.

 

Nonetheless, this narrative has an alternative side. Even if the media may create the illusion that these reptiles have a terrible penchant for human blood, in reality, they pose a relatively minor threat to humans. The chances of being attacked by an alligator are 1 in 3.2 million, which pales in comparison to the chances of being struck by lightning in one’s lifetime (in the US): 1 in 15,300.

 

For the most part, alligators tend to be relatively docile, resorting to attacks only when provoked or threatened. Furthermore, violent encounters aren’t always fatal; experts suggest that the animal will retreat in self-preservation if the victim fights back and attempts to intimidate it. Additionally, there have been cases of people surviving an alligator attack, coming off with some torn skin or shallow bites. Although they aren’t naturally aggressive towards humans, it should be mentioned that they have become increasingly bolder in the past few years, venturing closer than ever before. 

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Interestingly enough, the previously-mentioned 41-year-old victim was earlier arrested for trespassing on a local wetland, a short distance away from where her body was later found. Therefore, there is a possibility that on that day, she crossed a crocodile’s proximal area of residence, in turn making it feel threatened and encouraging it to lash out. This goes to further show that the devastating cases reported in the media sometimes have hidden information that changes the narrative and wrongly distributes the blame. 

 

Alligators are often confused with their ‘genetic cousin', the crocodile. Crocodiles are generally larger and heavier than their reptile counterparts, with a narrow, tapered triangular snout in comparison to the blunt, wide snout of the alligator. They prefer brackish, salt-water habitats and are greyish-green in colour, as opposed to the darker colouring of the alligator. Their greater size means that they possess a stronger, often lethal bite. This, paired with their aggressive nature, makes them a greater threat to humans than alligators, a great example being the notoriously dangerous Nile Crocodiles.

 

Thus, it may be said that the fear of alligator attacks on humans is relatively irrational and is no cause for concern. It is inevitable that occasional gruesome cases will occur, but those can be written off as mere unfortunate events or provoked attacks.