New study: Rarely are alligators to blame for dangerous and painful encounters with humans

Wayward interactions between alligators and humans are pretty much the fault of those humans doing something to antagonize or provoke the creatures, a new study has concluded.

Don’t blame the gators when they attack people because usually those people did something to bring on the risky crossing of the paths, according to joint research by the University of Florida (UF) and Centre College in Kentucky. Anytime there’s a nasty interaction between the primordial beasts and people, it’s pretty much the fault of some person, either intentionally or even accidentally, prompting the interaction.

The study’s findings were published this month in Human-Wildlife Interactions. Researchers developed a first-of-its-kind ranking process that classifies human actions just before they might encounter an alligator. The analysis concluded that in 96% of recorded incidents between gators and humans, the person either wasn’t paying attention to their surroundings or did something that posed a risk, prompting the attack. The researchers also found that attacks by gators are usually not random and they can be prevented.

“I wondered if crocodilians had an unwarranted reputation for attacks the same way snakes do,” said Mark Teshera, lead author of the study and a biology professor at Center College. “It was important to create a ranking system for risky human behaviors because it showed that the overwhelming majority of bites stemmed from some level of humans engaging in risky behavior in places where alligators live. Therefore, we should not call these encounters ‘attacks.’”

Researchers analyzed reported gator attacks or interactions dating back to 1734, up to 2021. They used a database called CrockAttack.org. The study is being published just as Spring temperatures are rising heading into Summer and encounters between humans and gators also increase because gators are more active.

According to researchers, some human activities lead to bites from alligators, not because the creatures are looking to attack humans. Swimming, wading, or other disturbances in water usually draw the attention of gators, which can lead to alligator bites. Higher-risk activities, such as knowingly entering alligator-inhabited waters, can also result in attacks.

Walking on land near water rarely resulted in attacks, according to researchers, though walking with a small animal, such as a pet, could lead to more encounters.

“The takeaway lesson from this study is that many bites can be prevented if humans are aware of their surroundings and minimize risky behaviors such as walking small pets near bodies of water or swimming where alligators are known to be present,” said Frank Mazzotti, professor of wildlife ecology at UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center and an author on the study.