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cab67

(3,852 posts)
10. Not entirely true.
Sun May 17, 2026, 06:54 PM
May 17

On land, a gator is only a threat if you come very close (i.e.about the length of the animal or less). They can lunge, but they really can't run.

They're ambush predators; if they know you can see them, they absolutely won't pursue you. They'll only attack if they think you're a threat. As long as you keep some space between you and an alligator on land, you're completely safe.

Also bear in mind that alligators prefer smaller prey than crocodiles. And that assumes they're looking for prey on land, which is almost never the case; they strongly prefer to ambush prey from the water.

Crocodiles can actually gallop. They''re the only reptiles that can do this. But alligators have never been seen galloping, and when crocodiles do it, it's always to escape a threat - not to catch prey. And they can't do it very far.

Recommendations

3 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Can they be identified as different individuals? efhmc May 17 #1
What do you mean? LetMyPeopleVote May 17 #4
For instance, if I saw this one last week, can I or will I be able to id it as the same specimen? efhmc May 17 #7
Often, yes. cab67 May 17 #13
I really prefer not to get close enough to check out their teeth. Thanks anyway. efhmc May 17 #16
binoculars are adequate for larger gators. cab67 May 17 #17
Gators can outrun a person easily The Blue Flower May 17 #2
Well that is scary. efhmc May 17 #8
Not entirely true. cab67 May 17 #10
Very interesting. Thank you. efhmc May 17 #12
for once... cab67 May 17 #14
I am in central (right wing) Texas but was in Houston for many years. I miss it so very much. I miss the diversity, the efhmc May 17 #15
Thank you for this information LetMyPeopleVote May 18 #18
You want to keep your distance LetMyPeopleVote May 18 #20
This is something of an urban legend. cab67 May 19 #21
I agree that the real danger is if the lunges at you LetMyPeopleVote May 19 #23
This is true. cab67 May 19 #24
It's gator breeding season, they're just out looking for a good time. sop May 17 #3
Back when my kids were in scouting, we camped at a park full of gators LetMyPeopleVote May 17 #5
Well, aren't we all but my idea of doing that is reading about other folk's doing the looking. efhmc May 17 #9
Is he big ENOUGH? Maybe needs to chow down on a Greg Abbott or Ken Paxton---don't ya think? hlthe2b May 17 #6
What to do? Norrrm May 17 #11
My daughter used to ride horses in Sienna - TBF May 18 #19
This was on the local ABC station last night LetMyPeopleVote May 19 #22
I am glad that I do not have a pool LetMyPeopleVote May 20 #25
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