Holy smokes! Is that a dinosaur? That is a question you could have been forgiven for asking if you had been on the Valencia Golf and Country Club golf course last week. Captured on video, a huge alligator believed to be up to 12-feet-long was seen moving across the course towards a small body of water, to the bemusement and trepidation of golfers.
The video was captured on the back of a golf buggy, which would have been useful for a quick escape, as alligators are known to be able to run at up to 35 mph over short distances, faster than any human.
The video was captured near the city of Naples, Florida, and has now been shared widely on the internet causing people to react in shock at the fact that such massive prehistoric beasts live amongst the Florida population.
The internet was quick to make its views known. With one user, Matt Devitt, a meteorologist at WINK News, tweeting:
"HUGE FLORIDA GATOR! Yep, this monster is real."
HUGE FLORIDA GATOR! 🐊👀 Yep, this monster is real. Caught on camera during Hurricane #Eta in Naples. Credit: Jeff Jones @WINKNews pic.twitter.com/LGn0Hb19Rd
— Matt Devitt (@MattDevittWINK) November 12, 2020
Many however questioned the veracity of the video, with some saying that it had been photoshopped. The BBC spoke to alligator expert James Nifong from the University of Florida's Croc Docs to give his opinion.
He confirmed the authenticity of the video, saying:
"Normally people don't see an alligator walking around. When the public sees an alligator it's in the water and you only see the top of the head and the eyes. When they get out of the water you can really see how impressive their size is. In Florida, anywhere there is water, there can be an alligator. From the smallest puddle, to the largest lakes and rivers. Crocodilians and alligators are basically dinosaurs. They've been around for 30 million years … we need to respect them and give them their space."
Alligator attacks are not uncommon. There are on average 10 incidents of alligator attack every year in Florida and, in the United States as a whole, around 20 people have died (that we know of) from alligator attacks in the last 20 years. They also pose a threat to pets and, as such Florida, has a dedicated team of alligator safety officials who travel around removing dangerous alligators, defined as those over 4-feet, from areas of human habitation.
Experts say that you should avoid swimming in water at night or in non-designated swimming areas and should never feed alligators or entice them over. In most cases, as long as humans keep their distance, there should be no issues of safety.
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