A Florida man risked his life trying to impress strangers on Instagram and things didn’t turn out quite the way he anticipated.
In a video that recently surfaced online, a man is seen floating in the water while hanging onto a fishing dock with one arm. Floating right next to him are two alligators. As soon as the man’s shoulder touches its snout, the alligator is triggered to bite down on it. He screams in pain and pulls himself out of the water once the gator lets go. Based on the video there is no evidence he was seriously injured and there appeared to be no blood from the bite.
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Generally, alligators won’t attack unless provoked, and attacks will consist of one bite followed by a quick retreat. Nevertheless, alligator bites are serious injuries due to the reptile’s sheer bite force and risk of infection – even if the gator is relatively small. Because of this, any encounter with an alligator should be taken seriously and extreme precaution should be used.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission warns people on their website to “never feed or entice alligators – it is dangerous and illegal. When fed, alligators overcome their natural wariness and associate people with food.”
For more information on alligator attacks in Florida, watch the video below.