Gator At The Beach

[santaman2000]

Just about 50 miles east of me on Panama City Beach. Look in the lower left of the photo:

Now the zoom in:

 

[petrochemicals]

Tis but a tiddler. I didn't realise aligators did salt water.

 

[forrestdweller]

does'nt look very big from the photos- can they be actually dangerous to humans?! (i had my share of encounters with crocodylus porosus in OZ but fortunately i'm still around!)

 

[bob_the_baker]

Tis but a tiddler. I didn't realise aligators did salt water.

They don't like it, I believe the salt water makes them go blind if they stay in it too long.

 

[mrcharly]

Looks about 5ft and skinny for a gator.

So, distressed and possibly half-blind alligator, loads of people. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[santaman2000]

does'nt look very big from the photos- can they be actually dangerous to humans?! (i had my share of encounters with crocodylus porosus in OZ but fortunately i'm still around!)

The comments said he was about 5 to 6 feet but he looks smaller to me too. I wish I could find the article to read what he measured after he was killed. They can be dangerous.

They don't like it, I believe the salt water makes them go blind if they stay in it too long.

That's exactly the case. We have at least one wander out into the Gulf every year. If they don't get back to freshwater soon enough they won't survive.

Looks about 5ft and skinny for a gator.

So, distressed and possibly half-blind alligator, loads of people. What could possibly go wrong?

I also noticed he was skinny. Maybe starving due to blindness?

 

[forrestdweller]

The comments said he was about 5 to 6 feet but he looks smaller to me too. I wish I could find the article to read what he measured after he was killed. They can be dangerous.

i do'nt get it: there god-knows-how-many humans killed every day by other humans and nobody makes a fuzz- but if one human gets killed by a croc (@ least in OZ it's usually idiots who decide to go fishing/swimming in croc country) you can read it on the frontpage of the newspapers.... . not that i fancy getting killed by a croc, but humans far a far greater thread to crocs then vice versa!

 

[santaman2000]

i do'nt get it: there god-knows-how-many humans killed every day by other humans and nobody makes a fuzz- but if one human gets killed by a croc (@ least in OZ it's usually idiots who decide to go fishing/swimming in croc country) you can read it on the frontpage of the newspapers.... . not that i fancy getting killed by a croc, but humans far a far greater thread to crocs then vice versa!

Not sure what it is you don't get. You asked if they're dangerous and I said they can be. They aren't dangerous usually, but they can be. As mrcharly inferred, especially a distressed and possibly half blind one at a beach full of people.

As to people being more of a threat to them than they are to us, well, I'm sure we all hope that's the way it works.

 

[Stevie777]

Look at how all the big girls bottoms have left the water...it's a tiddler. Compare it in size to the big fat guy in the blue vest in the pic..Seen bigger monitor Lizards.