Florida Alligators: What You Need To Know

Tampa Bay, FL — Alligator attacks on humans aren't common, but they do happen as evidenced by the death of 2-year-old Lane Graves in Orlando on Tuesday.

The little boy had his feet in the water at Disney’s Seven Seas Lagoon when an alligator reportedly came up and snatched him. His father attempted to rescue his son, but he was unsuccessful, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.

With an estimated 1.3 million alligators spread across the Sunshine State, there are things residents and visitors alike need to know to stay safe around alligators and prevent potential tragedies, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials say.

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“You are likely to find alligators in almost every body of freshwater in the state at some time or another,” said Gary Morse, FWC spokesman. “Alligators also frequent brackish waters and are sometimes found in saltwater where they will remain for short periods.”

The first rule of living with gators or visiting a state where they are so abundant, Morse said, is to “never approach an alligator – appreciate it from a safe distance.”

While alligator encounters can happen any time of the year in Florida, the critters are more active during hotter periods.

“All reptiles are more active in warmer months,” said Morse. “The body temperature and activity levels of alligators and other reptiles is directly related to the temperature of their surroundings.”

To help people stay safe around alligators, the state has created an educational brochure that Morse recommends all residents and visitors check out.

“It’s imperative that people become informed about alligators and alligator safety,” he said. “Go to our website at MyFWC.com and read the Living With Alligators brochure.”

Fatal alligator attacks are rare but not unheard of in Florida.

Last October, a 62-year-old man swimming in Blue Springs State Park died as a result of an alligator attack. A 12-1/2-foot alligator was captured and euthanized following that attack.

Earlier this month, a 72-year-old homeless man was found dead in the jaws of an alligator in Lakeland.

Despite the state’s bustling alligator population, serious attacks and fatalities are not common in Florida. Between 1948 and 2013, there were 22 fatalities recorded, according to FWC records. During that period, a total of 122 minor bites and 235 major bites were also logged. The last fatal alligator attack on record prior to 2015 occurred in 2007.

Alligator-related human fatalities might not be common, but encounters with the creatures are. Those encounters add up to so many over the course of any given year that the state has set up its own hotline to accept nuisance alligator calls. That number is 1-866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).

The state received 13,962 calls about nuisance alligators in 2015. A total of 7,513 alligators were removed as a result of those calls.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission