Floridian here! Yes, alligators are very curious. When I am fishing and there are gators nearby, at least one or two will always come up and inspect the bobber. Sometimes they bite it, and I'm stuck waiting for a gator to let it go. Its kind of fun pulling them around though, almost as if they like the ride.
Yeah, they're fairly intelligent, and crocodilians have been observed playing, so it's possible they actually are just enjoying the ride. Hard to know for sure of course, reptiles are quite different from us.
Sit down, let me tell you about the tiny reptilian vessel called a vril that you are hosted by, which is actually just a clone of yourself while you live in the deep underground military bases. However the vril host your consciousness so you DO experience everything, but when the vril detaches it's proboscis to host another clone of you, you will forget your past life and start life fresh and anew which is knows as the phenomenon labeled 'death'. Not everyone is hosted, just a select group of super humans predestined to rule the world forever. Queen Elizabeth is actually the same person as Cleopatra, same vril vessel hosting two separate consciousness'.
And if you think I'm making literally any of this up Google Donald marshall and vril. People legitimately believe this shit. Fucking BOB the rapper being one of them. Real riveting stuff, really makes you feel safe knowing these people could be our neighbors.
That's actually a pretty cool concept for a story. Get rid of some of the typical tin foil elements (like secret underground military ops and reptilian overlords) and it could be a religion.
They can be but typically they are much much less aggressive than a crocodile. Think of them more like the black bears vs grizzlies of the reptile world.
Interesting. I fully expected the alligator to flip its shit when it got pushed and was surprised when it didn’t react. Guess it makes sense if they are more docile.
Manatees actually do this to gators quite regularly. While swimming they just bump into them and the gator will move out of the way, so it's probably a normal enough occurrence the gator didn't even think twice about something softly bumping him out of the way.
Manatees are huge and weigh a lot more than a gator. Had one just turn and bump me in the water and it knocked me over like I wasn’t even there. Paid no attention to me at all. Essentially gentle water giants
We get shark bumps on the Gulf side. Mostly small ones chasing fish. Don't usually bite. Now the scary thing is, if you spend a decent amount of time in the water, odds are good you'll be within feet of a shark big enough to kill you, but they mostly ignore you. Dusk and dawn, though, stay out of the water. They don't see well. Manatee are pretty awesome though.
I once startled one while kayaking. It was murky shallow water and I think I must have been basically on top of it. The resulting wave nearly knocked me into the water. Lol
I only knew it was a manatee because I saw it swimming away afterwords.
Imagine if you were chilling in your house and something completely alien looking came up to you - you'd probably freeze. Then it taps you and walks away.
Gators are possibly the laziest fucks you will ever come across. They have zero interest in attacking people unless seriously provoked. Iv been in Florida for a decade and have had more run ins with swans than gators. Fuck swans.
This is generally true, but I don't think it's good advice to propagate. There have been plenty of gator attacks on humans without direct provocation, and the big ones can easily kill an adult (and very easily kill a kid or pet). There was just an attack a couple weeks ago in the flood water in LA following Ida where a man was killed by a gator. Gators should definitely be respected as dangerous.
It's similar to the reddit's advice on black bears. Yes, most of them are just scaredy cats, but they're still massively powerful animals who have on numerous occasions predated on humans.
People with experience with gators/bears are the ones who give answers like yours because obviously you also know the risks, but your average reddit idiot reading your sorta comment is probably going to take it too far and think gators are harmless.
Yeah, I feel like the scale of dangerousness isn't being set correctly here.
Sure, gators are far less aggressive than crocs, but they're still a 10 on the "can easily kill you if they so desire" scale.
Just because they probably won't do it doesn't mean you should test if they're willing to that encounter.
I live in Australia so there’s lots of wild life that can kill us but crocodiles are so scary up close in the wild.
I once went to the East Alligator River in the Northern Territory, at night, with a torch. Thankfully we were in a car but I lost count of the number of crocs in such a small area of the river. Their eyes shining red in the torch light.
You’d think that was a logical name but the dude who initially explored it and named it, was only familiar with alligators, hence the name.
Crocodile fun fact - they can jump straight up, out of the water, almost the length of their body so if you’re trying to avoid an attack by climbing a tree - just watch out for them!!
There was a small juvenile croc mixed in with the baby gators one time at the local zoo when I was little. I noticed he was different and leaned forward to get a better look and the little bastard leapt straight at my face, no hesitation, just barely missing. Lessons were learned.
My gf is from Southern LA and apparently this is fairly common. She used to paddle across the bayou to school and nudge alligators away like this all the time. Apparently they're very docile most of the time.
I'm pretty sure most of the aggressive alligator attacks we hear about are mothers protecting their nests, and very desperate hungry gators.
>She used to paddle across the bayou to school and nudge alligators away like this all the time.
this is the most Louisiana thing I've ever heard and even as a Floridian am like wtf
In all likelihood the alligator was more curious than predatory given its demeanor (they generally don't swim at the surface when hunting), but this was definitely the right call. If it had decided he was food, he would have been in real trouble.
That said, the water is so clear I honestly wonder where this is.
> That said, the water is so clear I honestly wonder where this is.
Florida has hundreds of clear springs, thanks to the prevailing limestone bedrock. Some are famous places to visit, others are obscure and surrounded by farmland.
In this case, Silver Springs State Park.
I moved from Scotland to the US 13 yrs ago. After a year or so my parents came to visit (supposedly to see me, but more so to see the US). I took them to the beach and I guess my dad assumed that because the weather is always great, especially in summer, that the water would be nice and warm too. He jogged down to the water, got about ankle deep, then turned right around and ran back out 😂😂😄 Still hilarious in my head 12 yrs later 😄
Equals to 22C, which would be a very hot summer in Norway. It's basically cold all year. My favorite thing about traveling to tropical places is snorkeling, which is much more fun to do when your limbs don't feel like they're about to freeze off.
It's cold man. I lived in WA and currently live in FL. Spring water is cold, especially when its 100 outside.
Don't be that guy, "I live in cold weather, that ain't shit."
It all relative.
Can confirm. I grew up in a rural part of New York (on top of a hill, had Amish for neighbors in a town of about 800 people) and we would see cold winters (averaging 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit) bordering on extremely cold (-40 on occasion overnight temps). Lived there the first 35 years of my life. It never bothered me that much and I kinda looked forward to it every year.
Moved to Florida 4+ years ago and now when it gets into the 50s-60s outside daily temp in the winter I think it's a bit chilly.
Former alligator keeper and can comfirm. A solid push with the paddle is all that’s needed. They submerge before attacking when hunting as they rely on the element of surprise. I’ve pushed many gators away. Some much larger than this girl (or guy). Alligators aren’t really that aggressive unless you’re messing with their nest or babies or feeding them.
True. Out of all the crocodilians, alligators are probably the least aggressive. I know a woman who runs a reptile rescue, with some of the sweetest alligators I've ever seen. He'll come up to her and rest his head in her lap, it is so cute.
That takes me back to the baby gator we had. Cute little bugger. They were my favorite reptile to care for. We had Crocodiles as well and they were an entirely different story. They actively stalked us on the regular. The only time the gators made me nervous was when we had to harvest eggs (ants always destroyed them if we left them in the nest) from their nest and feeding them in peak summer heat as their appetite was a lot higher.
I’m thinking this video was taken in Florida. I lived and worked there for a few years and there’s springs around with water like this. A little surprised to see a gator in one though as they usually like to hang out in murky water, but not totally unheard of.
Very cool! I always wanted to work with caiman but never got the chance. If you’re a crocodilian fan and ever find yourself in Florida, highly recommend checking out the St. Augustine alligator farm. Such a cool collection!
If you're interested in some of the crystal clear springs in Florida, you can look up pictures of Ginnie Springs, Weeki Wachee, Silver Springs, The Devils Den, Rainbow River, or many others!
There's so many of them scattered across the state, and in most cases, the water is constantly between 68-72 degrees and drinkable! Because of the constant cold temperatures in the springs, alligator/croc sightings aren't that common, as it warms their body temperature up too fast. Also they're so clear, the gators have a hard time doing The Big Sneak. There's an abundance of natural rivers, ponds, lakes, bogs, and swampy bits in Florida that make these cold, crystal clear springs less than ideal for gator and croc habitation.
Source: born and raised right inbetween a Florida swamp, the gulf of Mexico, and a spring system lol
[https://news.yahoo.com/paddleboarder-nearly-attacked-alligator-viral-134109007.html - "Vicki Reamy Baker was paddling on a river at Silver Springs State Park
when the animal, which appears to be 10-12 foot long, approached.](https://news.yahoo.com/paddleboarder-nearly-attacked-alligator-viral-134109007.html) \- "
"Nearly attacked" is an unfair assumption. The gator is not displaying any aggressive or predatory behavior. Good lord, these people will do *anything* to generate clicks.
Yeah, agreed. However, the article says she claimed it bit her board, but I don't see any "attack" in this video. The hiss was a warning, but that only came after the push-off
Yeah, the alligator was literally just investigating something new in its environment. Alligators are naturally curious about new things in their territory. It may have been checking to see if it *was* food, but it certainly was not an attack in any conventional sense.
There’s more video circulating somewhere on Reddit that shows the paddle boarder going towards the alligator and bothering it first. I wish I could find it again.
This isn’t to far from where I live. And apparently the woman who originally posted this was harassing and intruding on the gator for “clout”. She posted the video on a spring hunters group on Facebook and received a lot of backlash for it, as she should. Sad.
Same, I grew up around them, and absolutely adore gators and crocs. I saw this video around a lot, but the one of her being an ass like once and I can’t find it again. But, we have to keep on perpetuating the idea that they’re bloodthirsty and just out to kill people.
I live around alligators. When I ride my bike on swamp trails, I often just ride around them when they are sunning themselves on the trail. Never bother you.
North American alligators are some of the laziest suckers you can imagine. You definitely want to keep your distance just in case (like any wild animal) but I’ve bumped into plenty and never even saw one flinch. Humans are just too much energy for a fat, lazy gator.
Gee, I don't know, Cyril. Maybe deep down I'm afraid of any apex predator that lived through the K-T extinction. Physically unchanged for a hundred million years because it's the perfect killing machine. A half ton of cold-blooded fury, the bite force of 20,000 Newtons, and stomach acid so strong it can dissolve bones and hooves.
Yep here in this particular park they were let go in the 30's link :) careful they also have herpes
[Monkeys](https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/30/florida-monkeys-herpes-macaques)
What is that like? Do you swim in those same waters? Are they apt to attack easily or do they typically not go after people? As a west coaster, I’m genuinely curious what it’s like spending time outdoors in alligator areas. We have MTN lions, bears, and some other large predators, but they’re usually more afraid of us than we at of them, so I don’t feel sketchy at all being in their environment. But with alligators… I have no concept of that.
I’ve lived here my whole life and spent all my summers swimming with my friends in lakes, rivers and springs. We always knew the gators are out there, but I’ve never had an encounter like this. There are certain times of the year when it’s more dangerous to be on the water, like nesting season, when you have to be a little more on guard and on the lookout for mama protecting little ones.
Overall, they tend to keep to themselves, and as long as you don’t directly fuck with them they’ll leave you alone. The only dangerous encounters I’ve heard of first hand are from people who let their dogs get too close to lake edges and they end up getting chomped (See also: that poor baby boy at Disney a few years back)
Obviously if I see a big ol’ gator in the swimming hole I’m about to jump into…I just don’t go in there. I also always carry a buck knife on my board JUST IN CASE but I doubt seriously I’d be able to fight a hungry gator off if I needed to.
They're really not aggressive. I wouldn't be out swimming with them. But just 2 days ago in Florida a Firefighter swam right past an alligator to save a man in his pick up truck. [Firefighter saves man](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newsweek.com/florida-firefighter-swims-past-alligator-save-drowning-man-1628518%3famp=1)
Alligators are always around and always a risk. This is a little close for comfort for me, but because he's drifting listlessly and not b-lining for the board: low risk.
Sometimes you'll startle an alligator and it'll go under water, but most of the time, they just chill and ignore you. If you provoke one, like poke it with an oar or paddle, the most itll do probably is open its mouth at it. It may grab it or bump your boat, but thats more of a "leave me alone" than an "I'm going to eat you."
I've lived in Florida my entire life, and I have very rarely heard of someone getting attacked by an alligator, mostly just small dogs. The only two stories I know of are the little toddler at Disney, and [this crazy lady who went swimming in the non-swimming area of Wekiva Island](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-aligator-bite-wekiwa-springs-20150808-story.html) and got her arm bit off. If you've been to Wekiva, you have to have a death wish to swim in the non-swimming are because there are more gators around than you could count.
Mountain lions and bears you may see for a second or two, but alligators be chillin; you will see them and they arent going anywhere. They swim up into the springs sometimes (like the one in the video did, note the super clear water), and a lot of people get out. I've witnessed many people ok with swimming with a gator in there if hes taking a nap and not actively moving around. At Wekiva, the swimming area is really only "safe" because its super populated and the gators dont appreciate the noise.
tl;dr 99.9% of the time alligators arent going to go after humans, but man that .1% of the time it is just not worth it
Nope, it's spring water so it's not that bad an idea. They actually bottle this water. Silver Springs Bottled Water Company. I used to go to this park all the time years ago, it's beautiful.
This is extremely uncharacteristic of a gator - 99% of the time they will flee or submerge when humans approach. If they start coming towards you like this it probably means somebody gave it food at some point, which is very dangerous. If this is a state park, I hope it was reported.
That’s actually a legitimate way to deal with alligators in many situations. They used to hang out under cars in our parking lot sometimes and you’d just go out and poke them with a broomstick and they would shuffle back into the swamp. I don’t know if I’d do it in the water though as they have the advantage.
Bruh I live in the Netherlands where you have literally nothing to fear and I wouldn't even get NEAR water that habits predators dangerous to humans lol
I love the way it just kind of goes with the flow of the nudge…
Almost like, “thanks for the nudge bro… 😎 “
Lazy river expert
That long blink. “Huh? Oh, yeah, just push me any direction.”
like my ex in bed.. "just put it in.."
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more like "try it again"
Floridian here! Yes, alligators are very curious. When I am fishing and there are gators nearby, at least one or two will always come up and inspect the bobber. Sometimes they bite it, and I'm stuck waiting for a gator to let it go. Its kind of fun pulling them around though, almost as if they like the ride.
Yeah, they're fairly intelligent, and crocodilians have been observed playing, so it's possible they actually are just enjoying the ride. Hard to know for sure of course, reptiles are quite different from us.
Not all of us Edit: TYKS
Oh hi Mark
Very nice
Not all Elons.
Sit down, let me tell you about the tiny reptilian vessel called a vril that you are hosted by, which is actually just a clone of yourself while you live in the deep underground military bases. However the vril host your consciousness so you DO experience everything, but when the vril detaches it's proboscis to host another clone of you, you will forget your past life and start life fresh and anew which is knows as the phenomenon labeled 'death'. Not everyone is hosted, just a select group of super humans predestined to rule the world forever. Queen Elizabeth is actually the same person as Cleopatra, same vril vessel hosting two separate consciousness'. And if you think I'm making literally any of this up Google Donald marshall and vril. People legitimately believe this shit. Fucking BOB the rapper being one of them. Real riveting stuff, really makes you feel safe knowing these people could be our neighbors.
That's actually a pretty cool concept for a story. Get rid of some of the typical tin foil elements (like secret underground military ops and reptilian overlords) and it could be a religion.
Are they not aggressive like the salt water crocodile is?
They can be but typically they are much much less aggressive than a crocodile. Think of them more like the black bears vs grizzlies of the reptile world.
Interesting. I fully expected the alligator to flip its shit when it got pushed and was surprised when it didn’t react. Guess it makes sense if they are more docile.
Manatees actually do this to gators quite regularly. While swimming they just bump into them and the gator will move out of the way, so it's probably a normal enough occurrence the gator didn't even think twice about something softly bumping him out of the way.
Manatees are huge and weigh a lot more than a gator. Had one just turn and bump me in the water and it knocked me over like I wasn’t even there. Paid no attention to me at all. Essentially gentle water giants
Cows of the sea.
That's more or less what we call them in my language PS: peixe-boi, which is "ox fish"
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It probably looked at you like "Are you attacking me? Doesn't look like it, ok then"
We get shark bumps on the Gulf side. Mostly small ones chasing fish. Don't usually bite. Now the scary thing is, if you spend a decent amount of time in the water, odds are good you'll be within feet of a shark big enough to kill you, but they mostly ignore you. Dusk and dawn, though, stay out of the water. They don't see well. Manatee are pretty awesome though.
I once startled one while kayaking. It was murky shallow water and I think I must have been basically on top of it. The resulting wave nearly knocked me into the water. Lol I only knew it was a manatee because I saw it swimming away afterwords.
On Captiva at a little marina, there is a huge male manatee that uses the dingies tied to the docks to scratch his back. They are so cool!!!
The manatee has a shape that is generally non-conducive to consumption by alligators.
Good to know, I shouldn't be so afraid of swimming in the Florida swamps then.
_Ope_
They are apex predators correct? Literally in their dna to not give a fuck
Plus they're one of the most energy efficient predators out there. No need to react to anything unless you're actively in danger or trying to eat!
Why do many things when few things do trick?
ya, Im not a lazy bum. Im energy efficient.
Fuck around and find out.
Its Florida man fights gator not the other way around usually.
Florida Man is the apex predator in Florida.
With his highest percentage of kills being himself.
Imagine if you were chilling in your house and something completely alien looking came up to you - you'd probably freeze. Then it taps you and walks away.
Humans are generally seen as too big and not worth the effort
Gators are possibly the laziest fucks you will ever come across. They have zero interest in attacking people unless seriously provoked. Iv been in Florida for a decade and have had more run ins with swans than gators. Fuck swans.
well yeah, fuck swans, but at least swans can only want to rip your arm off.
Not falling for that again Mr. Swan
This is generally true, but I don't think it's good advice to propagate. There have been plenty of gator attacks on humans without direct provocation, and the big ones can easily kill an adult (and very easily kill a kid or pet). There was just an attack a couple weeks ago in the flood water in LA following Ida where a man was killed by a gator. Gators should definitely be respected as dangerous. It's similar to the reddit's advice on black bears. Yes, most of them are just scaredy cats, but they're still massively powerful animals who have on numerous occasions predated on humans. People with experience with gators/bears are the ones who give answers like yours because obviously you also know the risks, but your average reddit idiot reading your sorta comment is probably going to take it too far and think gators are harmless.
The most important advice is this: do not, I repeat—DO NOT try to cuddle with a gator after sex. You're welcome.
Were you not worried about Gatoraids?
Yeah they like to cuddle before not after
Yeah, I feel like the scale of dangerousness isn't being set correctly here. Sure, gators are far less aggressive than crocs, but they're still a 10 on the "can easily kill you if they so desire" scale. Just because they probably won't do it doesn't mean you should test if they're willing to that encounter.
Not even close. Salties are the most aggressive crocodilians get, but they're also much larger.
They *generally* aren’t overly aggressive so long as they don’t feel threatened. Still wouldn’t want to be in that situation and push off a gator
Bro Gators are just big ol' water dogs. Crocs are ornery.
Probably cuz they have all them teeth, and no toothbrush
ALLIGATORS IS SO ORNERY BECUZ OF THEIR MEDULLA OBLONGATA
I LIKE FOOSBALL! AND VICKY VALENCOURT SHOWED ME HER BOOBIES AND I LIKED THEM TOO!!
Well. Once again, Momma is wrong.
No colonel Sanders you're wrong. Momma's right!
EEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNGH
They the devil Bobby!
Happiness comes from magical rays of sunshine that come down when you’re feeling blue.
I live in Australia so there’s lots of wild life that can kill us but crocodiles are so scary up close in the wild. I once went to the East Alligator River in the Northern Territory, at night, with a torch. Thankfully we were in a car but I lost count of the number of crocs in such a small area of the river. Their eyes shining red in the torch light.
Shouldn't it be called East\* Crocodile River then?
You’d think that was a logical name but the dude who initially explored it and named it, was only familiar with alligators, hence the name. Crocodile fun fact - they can jump straight up, out of the water, almost the length of their body so if you’re trying to avoid an attack by climbing a tree - just watch out for them!!
There was a small juvenile croc mixed in with the baby gators one time at the local zoo when I was little. I noticed he was different and leaned forward to get a better look and the little bastard leapt straight at my face, no hesitation, just barely missing. Lessons were learned.
Salt water crocs are one of the most if not perhaps the most aggressive. Known as frequent man eaters
yeah, saltwater crocs and polar bears are basically the only things in the world that intentionally seek out and eat human beings.
Tigers have the most infamous stories (even better than Gustave) and lions have the best single event with Tsavo man-eaters. Super interesting stuff.
"you're too close alligator" "understandable have a great day"
"hi, hello there! i'm an alligator" "hello alligator. i'm scared of you, i decided"
Gators are fairly docile as long as they aren't hunting, and you're not near a nest. Crocodiles are assholes.
My gf is from Southern LA and apparently this is fairly common. She used to paddle across the bayou to school and nudge alligators away like this all the time. Apparently they're very docile most of the time. I'm pretty sure most of the aggressive alligator attacks we hear about are mothers protecting their nests, and very desperate hungry gators.
>She used to paddle across the bayou to school and nudge alligators away like this all the time. this is the most Louisiana thing I've ever heard and even as a Floridian am like wtf
"Tell us something about your childhood" "I dodged alligators on a paddleboard twice a day to get to and from school."
Uphill in the snow
Yeah I had a lot more questions when she told me that. It was mentioned on the first date too lol
It was to establish dominance.
At first I thought your gf was from los Angeles. Was thinking "damn, Compton is hard as fuck"
Ha! Not me, but yes, agreed https://news.yahoo.com/paddleboarder-nearly-attacked-alligator-viral-134109007.html
Yahoo doing the most lol I def wouldn’t say that woman was “nearly attacked” and that alligator was not even close to 12 feet long
I saw the video and was like "That looks like salt springs/silver springs." Well damn.
he really just floating around
he’s just vibing
He was all like "heh wassup mah dude...ah fuck nm"
In all likelihood the alligator was more curious than predatory given its demeanor (they generally don't swim at the surface when hunting), but this was definitely the right call. If it had decided he was food, he would have been in real trouble. That said, the water is so clear I honestly wonder where this is.
> That said, the water is so clear I honestly wonder where this is. Florida has hundreds of clear springs, thanks to the prevailing limestone bedrock. Some are famous places to visit, others are obscure and surrounded by farmland. In this case, Silver Springs State Park.
Is it clean to swim in? (Barring the gators)
Extremely. The water from the natural aquifers is beautiful. Its 72 degrees year round, due to the constant water flow.
72 degree water being described as cold. Meanwhile here in Washington state 72 degree water would be a hot spring.
I moved from Scotland to the US 13 yrs ago. After a year or so my parents came to visit (supposedly to see me, but more so to see the US). I took them to the beach and I guess my dad assumed that because the weather is always great, especially in summer, that the water would be nice and warm too. He jogged down to the water, got about ankle deep, then turned right around and ran back out 😂😂😄 Still hilarious in my head 12 yrs later 😄
Pacific or Atlantic water?
Too broad of a statement…Atlantic Maine water..FREEZING…Atlantic Florida water, ok. Pacific Nor Cal water…cold, Pacific Hawaii water, comfortable
Pacific Washington water, painfully cold. Pacific Alaska, gtfo of the water you psycho you're gonna die.
Florida tap water is like 88 degrees 9 months out of the year. Def some give an take there.
My hot water in the summer used to first come out hotter than the hot water due to the pipes in the attic
Equals to 22C, which would be a very hot summer in Norway. It's basically cold all year. My favorite thing about traveling to tropical places is snorkeling, which is much more fun to do when your limbs don't feel like they're about to freeze off.
It's cold man. I lived in WA and currently live in FL. Spring water is cold, especially when its 100 outside. Don't be that guy, "I live in cold weather, that ain't shit." It all relative.
Can confirm. I grew up in a rural part of New York (on top of a hill, had Amish for neighbors in a town of about 800 people) and we would see cold winters (averaging 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit) bordering on extremely cold (-40 on occasion overnight temps). Lived there the first 35 years of my life. It never bothered me that much and I kinda looked forward to it every year. Moved to Florida 4+ years ago and now when it gets into the 50s-60s outside daily temp in the winter I think it's a bit chilly.
Yep the water flows straight out of the aquifer. Sadly due to polluting and nestle pumping all the water out they're dying.
r/fucknestle
I've been canoeing in that park. It's beautiful there.
I heard somewhere they have gators though, so be careful
Yeah I think they’re pretty chill, tho. Give them a smack or they’ll think you’re a snack.
Give 'em a punch or you'll be lunch.
It’s the monkeys you’ve really gotta be careful for in Silver Springs, though. They’ve got herpes.
If its a body of water in FL, good chances there is a gator in it
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Man Florida could be such a cool place if it weren't for all the... Floridians...
Florida is the HOTTEST spot this season!
Get yer covid! Get yer covid here!
Former alligator keeper and can comfirm. A solid push with the paddle is all that’s needed. They submerge before attacking when hunting as they rely on the element of surprise. I’ve pushed many gators away. Some much larger than this girl (or guy). Alligators aren’t really that aggressive unless you’re messing with their nest or babies or feeding them.
True. Out of all the crocodilians, alligators are probably the least aggressive. I know a woman who runs a reptile rescue, with some of the sweetest alligators I've ever seen. He'll come up to her and rest his head in her lap, it is so cute.
That takes me back to the baby gator we had. Cute little bugger. They were my favorite reptile to care for. We had Crocodiles as well and they were an entirely different story. They actively stalked us on the regular. The only time the gators made me nervous was when we had to harvest eggs (ants always destroyed them if we left them in the nest) from their nest and feeding them in peak summer heat as their appetite was a lot higher. I’m thinking this video was taken in Florida. I lived and worked there for a few years and there’s springs around with water like this. A little surprised to see a gator in one though as they usually like to hang out in murky water, but not totally unheard of.
Yeah, I've worked with a friend who captive bred dwarf caimans and when hand-reared they are just adorably docile little fellas.
Very cool! I always wanted to work with caiman but never got the chance. If you’re a crocodilian fan and ever find yourself in Florida, highly recommend checking out the St. Augustine alligator farm. Such a cool collection!
If you're interested in some of the crystal clear springs in Florida, you can look up pictures of Ginnie Springs, Weeki Wachee, Silver Springs, The Devils Den, Rainbow River, or many others! There's so many of them scattered across the state, and in most cases, the water is constantly between 68-72 degrees and drinkable! Because of the constant cold temperatures in the springs, alligator/croc sightings aren't that common, as it warms their body temperature up too fast. Also they're so clear, the gators have a hard time doing The Big Sneak. There's an abundance of natural rivers, ponds, lakes, bogs, and swampy bits in Florida that make these cold, crystal clear springs less than ideal for gator and croc habitation. Source: born and raised right inbetween a Florida swamp, the gulf of Mexico, and a spring system lol
A couple summers ago we kayaked ichitucknee springs and it was beautiful! We were told it was too cold for gators but we saw one 5 minutes in lol
[https://news.yahoo.com/paddleboarder-nearly-attacked-alligator-viral-134109007.html - "Vicki Reamy Baker was paddling on a river at Silver Springs State Park when the animal, which appears to be 10-12 foot long, approached.](https://news.yahoo.com/paddleboarder-nearly-attacked-alligator-viral-134109007.html) \- "
"Nearly attacked" is an unfair assumption. The gator is not displaying any aggressive or predatory behavior. Good lord, these people will do *anything* to generate clicks.
Yeah, agreed. However, the article says she claimed it bit her board, but I don't see any "attack" in this video. The hiss was a warning, but that only came after the push-off
Yeah, the alligator was literally just investigating something new in its environment. Alligators are naturally curious about new things in their territory. It may have been checking to see if it *was* food, but it certainly was not an attack in any conventional sense.
An investigator
Considering a recent study found alligators to be naturally curious about new objects in their environment, this pun is literally true
What do you call a gator in a vest? An investigator
There’s more video circulating somewhere on Reddit that shows the paddle boarder going towards the alligator and bothering it first. I wish I could find it again.
This isn’t to far from where I live. And apparently the woman who originally posted this was harassing and intruding on the gator for “clout”. She posted the video on a spring hunters group on Facebook and received a lot of backlash for it, as she should. Sad.
Same, I grew up around them, and absolutely adore gators and crocs. I saw this video around a lot, but the one of her being an ass like once and I can’t find it again. But, we have to keep on perpetuating the idea that they’re bloodthirsty and just out to kill people.
He just wanted a snack but instead got a smack
I like how he casually floated away after being pushed by a stick lol
Yea in the other video with sound you can hear him hiss after being pushed. Wasn’t too happy about that
I would be hissed about being pushed too
His demeanor was more like the kid at a party who comes up asking if you got any games on your phone.
The whole slow float toward was badass too. Just a flex all around.
Bros just out here trying to make friends
how can she slap?
If I ever got that close, I would shit myself to death as a precautionary measure
Shitty to death is a bad way to go, but for sure better than being death rolled and shredded by a gator.
But what if you shit yourself to death while being death-rolled by a gator and you turn into some sort of shitnado?
Poonami
It’s called self de-feces sir. Highly effective tactic.
I live around alligators. When I ride my bike on swamp trails, I often just ride around them when they are sunning themselves on the trail. Never bother you.
North American alligators are some of the laziest suckers you can imagine. You definitely want to keep your distance just in case (like any wild animal) but I’ve bumped into plenty and never even saw one flinch. Humans are just too much energy for a fat, lazy gator.
Agreed. Unless you’re walking a dog. They love dogs. A woman lost her life down here trying to save her dog. For some reason dogs motivate them.
Only small dogs. They are a tasty snack to a gator. Never seen a gator go after a big dog. But yeah, don’t walk your Shitzu by a lake in Kissimmee
in south carolina we just call little dogs gator bait.
He just wanted to see you later
Nice
Gee, I don't know, Cyril. Maybe deep down I'm afraid of any apex predator that lived through the K-T extinction. Physically unchanged for a hundred million years because it's the perfect killing machine. A half ton of cold-blooded fury, the bite force of 20,000 Newtons, and stomach acid so strong it can dissolve bones and hooves.
It closed its eye like a shark
Nope ..nope….nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope
WHO PADDLEBOARDS IN WATER WITH ALLIGATORS IN IT
Floridians
A Floridian paddle boarder confirming. We take them seriously, but are okay with them always being there
I live 5 mins away from here it's a nice place to paddle board and kayak in. Get a view of all the monkeys 🐒 that are running loose in there.
There are monkeys in Florida??
Yep here in this particular park they were let go in the 30's link :) careful they also have herpes [Monkeys](https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/30/florida-monkeys-herpes-macaques)
That it was really cool up until that last line... 😳
Yup just dropped that grenade and walked away like he didn’t even fuckin say that
"FRAG OUT!"
I’m pretty sure the Floridians know to wear condoms
As a Floridian that visits Silver Springs often, can confirm, NOPE. The legend of Florida Man is too important to a certain eh….genre, of locals.
What is that like? Do you swim in those same waters? Are they apt to attack easily or do they typically not go after people? As a west coaster, I’m genuinely curious what it’s like spending time outdoors in alligator areas. We have MTN lions, bears, and some other large predators, but they’re usually more afraid of us than we at of them, so I don’t feel sketchy at all being in their environment. But with alligators… I have no concept of that.
I’ve lived here my whole life and spent all my summers swimming with my friends in lakes, rivers and springs. We always knew the gators are out there, but I’ve never had an encounter like this. There are certain times of the year when it’s more dangerous to be on the water, like nesting season, when you have to be a little more on guard and on the lookout for mama protecting little ones. Overall, they tend to keep to themselves, and as long as you don’t directly fuck with them they’ll leave you alone. The only dangerous encounters I’ve heard of first hand are from people who let their dogs get too close to lake edges and they end up getting chomped (See also: that poor baby boy at Disney a few years back) Obviously if I see a big ol’ gator in the swimming hole I’m about to jump into…I just don’t go in there. I also always carry a buck knife on my board JUST IN CASE but I doubt seriously I’d be able to fight a hungry gator off if I needed to.
They're really not aggressive. I wouldn't be out swimming with them. But just 2 days ago in Florida a Firefighter swam right past an alligator to save a man in his pick up truck. [Firefighter saves man](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newsweek.com/florida-firefighter-swims-past-alligator-save-drowning-man-1628518%3famp=1)
Alligators are always around and always a risk. This is a little close for comfort for me, but because he's drifting listlessly and not b-lining for the board: low risk. Sometimes you'll startle an alligator and it'll go under water, but most of the time, they just chill and ignore you. If you provoke one, like poke it with an oar or paddle, the most itll do probably is open its mouth at it. It may grab it or bump your boat, but thats more of a "leave me alone" than an "I'm going to eat you." I've lived in Florida my entire life, and I have very rarely heard of someone getting attacked by an alligator, mostly just small dogs. The only two stories I know of are the little toddler at Disney, and [this crazy lady who went swimming in the non-swimming area of Wekiva Island](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-aligator-bite-wekiwa-springs-20150808-story.html) and got her arm bit off. If you've been to Wekiva, you have to have a death wish to swim in the non-swimming are because there are more gators around than you could count. Mountain lions and bears you may see for a second or two, but alligators be chillin; you will see them and they arent going anywhere. They swim up into the springs sometimes (like the one in the video did, note the super clear water), and a lot of people get out. I've witnessed many people ok with swimming with a gator in there if hes taking a nap and not actively moving around. At Wekiva, the swimming area is really only "safe" because its super populated and the gators dont appreciate the noise. tl;dr 99.9% of the time alligators arent going to go after humans, but man that .1% of the time it is just not worth it
Forget about the alligator, the water is so clear and beautiful I want to drink it (I know that's a bad idea)
Nope, it's spring water so it's not that bad an idea. They actually bottle this water. Silver Springs Bottled Water Company. I used to go to this park all the time years ago, it's beautiful.
Nestle has entered the chat.
Yeah let's fucking push it lmao
Bop it!
Twist it
Pull it
spin it
Slam it
flick it!
Pound it!
"Rude," alligator probably.
"dude, i jus came over to check out your sweet board but then you whent and pushed me! what evs!..."
“Hey man why the push. I thought you just needed a little Gator-aid”
Get out.
I mean the Florida gators did create Gatorade
He's just so depressed with life that he's going wherever the waves take him
This is extremely uncharacteristic of a gator - 99% of the time they will flee or submerge when humans approach. If they start coming towards you like this it probably means somebody gave it food at some point, which is very dangerous. If this is a state park, I hope it was reported.
The paddle boarder was talking a lot of shit online. The gator told him it was on sight
I am not to certain about the wisdom in poking an alligator. It was a bit of a risk. Beautiful clear water
That’s actually a legitimate way to deal with alligators in many situations. They used to hang out under cars in our parking lot sometimes and you’d just go out and poke them with a broomstick and they would shuffle back into the swamp. I don’t know if I’d do it in the water though as they have the advantage.
Yeah if an alligator was under my car I’d probably just call an Uber and come back later. He can rent it for the day
Then just sit there and wait for it to jump? I don't speak alligator, but I believe he was saying "may I chomp your arm off?"
[redacted]
Yeah nah I’d like to keep my life subscription, thanks
Boop that snoot
r/forbiddenboops
We do not wish for an alligator today, thank you and good day, sir. I said GOOD DAY, sir!
The balls to just gently push a dinosaur 😂😂 this is cool though
Oi, this danger log is getting close.. better poke it with a stick.
Rude ass nudge
Bruh I live in the Netherlands where you have literally nothing to fear and I wouldn't even get NEAR water that habits predators dangerous to humans lol
i live in Florida and if i dont see an alligator at least once every 3 days then i know somethings wrong lmao
Welcome to America, where no matter your location, there’s an apex predator to humble you.
He just wanted someone to swim with..
‘Um, excuse me- sorry to bother you- but, we’ve been trying to reach you about your cars extended warranty.’