Cases of alligator attacks on people. Saltwater (salted) crocodile. Photos and videos of a saltwater crocodile. Who is more dangerous, a crocodile or an alligator?

Steps

• Stay away from water. Find out from local residents and relevant authorities about the presence of crocodiles or alligators in lakes and rivers, and do not swim in undesignated areas or in water where these animals live. Very It is important not to enter the water at dusk or at night, when these animals are more difficult to spot and when they are very actively hunting.
• Carefully inspect your environment. If you are going to go into water or be near water where people wander crocodiles, be sure to be vigilant at all times. Alligators and crocodiles They are able to hide very well in water, often with only their eyes and nostrils above the water, or they are completely submerged in the water. Do not dangle your arms or legs while extending them out of the boat into the water. When walking along the shore, keep your distance from the water - crocodiles often attack fishermen and people collecting water on the shore, and also avoid dense vegetation, which provides these animals with good cover.
• Do not get closer than 5 m to alligators or crocodiles. If you notice them, stay away from them. Five meters on the ground is usually enough, but during the mating season it is better to stay even further away from them. Always avoid being near their nests or babies, as the mother can be very protective of them. Crocodiles may make a short jerk on the ground, which can startle you if you are too close. In water these animals are much faster than a human and feel at home there, so it is better to give them as much space as possible.
• Don't take these animals by surprise. If you notice that you are approaching a crocodile, make a sound by splashing the water with an oar if you are sailing in a boat, or whistle, for example. When passing near a river bend, stay away from the bank. Crocodiles or alligators on the shore they can attack in self-defense if you scare them.
• Run away from the animal. Despite all safety precautions, you may still accidentally find yourself at an unsafe distance from a crocodile or alligator. Fortunately, crocodiles They rely on the element of surprise to catch prey, so it is extremely rare for these animals to chase people on the ground. Nevertheless, crocodiles and alligators not as slow on earth as many people think, although they are not as fast as others believe. The land speed record is 10 miles per hour (about 17 km/h); these animals also get tired quickly when running on the ground, which means that, having noticed it, any teenager and adult who is at a decent distance can easily overtake this animal on the ground. Run out of the water because crocodiles and alligators often run on land, except when they are trying to get back into the water or are out of danger. It is useless to listen to advice to run away in a zigzag: the most quick way keeping a distance between you and the crocodile means running away in a straight line.
• When attacked, fight back. Although crocodiles usually bite the potential meat (you) and hold it until they forcefully destroy it, sometimes they (especially when defending babies and territory) will only make one quick defensive bite and then immediately release. In this case, just try to move away from the animal. However, during predatory attacks, as well as during attacks for the purpose of defense, the animal does not let go and often tries to drag a person into or under water. Crocodiles can stay under water much longer than people, so the only hope for salvation in this case is to fight back and run away. Simply struggling or trying to jerk free is usually not enough and such behavior can cause the crocodile to pull you under the water, at which point the arm or leg in the crocodile's mouth is likely to come off. Best option- a deliberate and carefully planned attack on an animal.

• Aim to damage your eyes. The most vulnerable part of a crocodile or alligator's body is its eyes. Try to stab him in the eyes with any object at hand: an oar, a stick or a knife. Even your hands can become effective weapons if you get into this animal's eyes. A Florida teenager recently managed to escape from an alligator that pulled him into the water by sticking its thumb into the alligator's eye.
• Aim to damage your nostrils or ears. Not as sensitive as the eyes, nostrils and ears of a crocodile can also be effectively targeted. A strong blast of air or a cut to any of these organs may cause the animal to let you go. Many people have managed to free themselves from the jaws of a crocodile or alligator by hitting the animal in the face with a pole or club.
• Aim to damage the palatine valve. Crocodiles have a “valve” behind their tongue, which covers their throat. This valve prevents water from flowing into the throat, and thus prevents them from drowning with open mouth. If your hand or foot is stuck in the crocodile's mouth, you may be able to pry this valve open. Thus, the water will flow into the throat and, most likely, he will let you go. A strong blow to this area can also cause the animal to let you go.

• Seek medical attention immediately. A crocodile's mouth accumulates a huge amount of bacteria, and you are almost guaranteed to get an infection if you don't treat the wound immediately.

Useful tips

• Alligators typically have a broad, "bucket-shaped" snout, while crocodiles have a more pointed snout. Alligators live in parts of the United States and southern China.
• Protect your pets in areas where crocodiles live. Do not allow your pets to enter water where crocodiles or alligators live, and keep your dog on a leash when walking in the habitat of these animals. Crocodiles often attack domestic animals; You may also be attacked if your animal disturbs one of these animals or attracts its attention as prey.
• Crocodiles and alligators They are safest in the water, so if you are boating and bump into them on land, they may slide into the water. This may scare you as it may seem like an attack from them, but usually they just go underwater to hide and will hide there until you leave. Try to leave this place quickly, do not dare to go into the water or stick your arms or legs out of the boat.
• Crocodiles have been known to attack small boats, particularly canoes, but then abandon people even if they are thrown into the water. It is believed that crocodiles or alligators watching from under the water, they may see a boat and think it is another crocodile or alligator. Therefore, they attack boats in order to protect the territory.
• Crocodiles can remember travel routes and camping spots. When relaxing in the habitat of these animals, place tents away from water and do not scatter food waste. If you need to approach or enter the water to get water, wash dishes or wash your face, do so with caution and do not always enter the water in the same place. Crocodiles or alligators may smell food after washing dishes, or may notice you from a distance getting water, so they may be waiting for you the next time you go there.
• The jaws of alligators or crocodiles are very strong when they are closed, but they have very weak muscles to open the jaw, so if you hold the alligator's mouth closed tightly with both hands, it will not be able to open it. But remember, he can move his body a lot and this way he can get free.

Warning

• Never feed crocodiles and alligators, either intentionally or unintentionally (for example, by throwing or leaving food scraps near camp or water). Feeding these animals may cause them to lose their fear of humans and may view humans as a source of food. It can also lead to an immediate attack if the person feeding them gets too close.
• Crocodiles and alligators already view humans as prey, so unprovoked attacks can occur. Saltwater crocodiles, found in Australia and Asia, and Nile crocodiles in particular, are very known for attacking people and are sometimes attracted to the sounds of outboard engines (although it has been theorized that they attack boats in order to defend territory, as the engines make a sound similar to that of other crocodiles).
• If a crocodile grabs your arm or leg, it will try to twist it off. So get ready to immediately start twisting it in the same direction.
• In places like the northern coast of Australia, where crocodiles live, the fact that there is no sign of a crocodile does not always mean that you are completely safe. Crocodiles enter the ocean, stream or river where they are not expected to be seen.
• Do everything possible to prevent a crocodile or alligator from dragging you into the water. They are stronger than you, and if you let them pull you into the water, you risk suffocating.

Illustration copyright Getty

Alligators are dangerous predators and they do attack people. However, as the observer found out, this rarely ends in the death of a person.

On June 15, 2016, a two-year-old boy was dragged underwater by an alligator in Orlando, Florida.

About 18 hours later, the boy's body was found "almost unharmed" in the water near the scene.

At a press conference, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said this was the first such case in the region.

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After the tragedy, many began to think about how dangerous alligators are and whether it is worth visiting the places where they live.

We asked experts in the field to help assess the possible risks.

There are only two species of alligators: the Chinese alligator, which is usually no more than 1.5 meters long, and the American alligator, which can be much longer.

It is logical to assume that alligators can live in any body of water in Florida

We don't know the size of the alligator that attacked a child in Florida. According to eyewitnesses, it could be from 1.2 to 2 meters in length, that is, relatively small.

The largest American alligator was discovered in Alabama in 2014. Its length was almost 4.5 meters.

Florida is home to a huge number of alligators. Thanks to the species conservation program, their number has reached one million.

American alligators live in all 67 counties of Florida, as well as in other states - Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina.

Ecologist Lucas Nell from the University of Georgia in Athens, USA, has been observing alligators for many years. According to him, it is logical to assume that alligators can live in any body of water in Florida.

Indeed, these predators are found in most swamps and rivers.

But, despite their countless numbers, they very rarely attack people.

Lucas Nell explains that alligators are afraid of people. "They've been hunted since Europeans came to America, and they've been on the verge of extinction," he says.

In 2010, a study was conducted of all alligator attacks from 1928 to 2009.

It turned out that over such a long period in the United States, only 24 people died from alligator teeth, and most of them in Florida.

There are only 0.06 attacks per 100,000 people per year

There have only been a few reported fatal cases of an alligator attempting to eat its prey.

At the same time, “it is unknown whether an attack took place: a person could first drown, and only then fall into the teeth of a predator,” says the author scientific work Rick Langley of the Department of Health and social security North Carolina.

During the period indicated, Langley counted 567 " dangerous encounters" with predators that resulted in people being bitten.

About 260 victims required serious medical attention, while the rest escaped with minor injuries.

However, given total For residents of a county so densely populated by alligators, it turns out that there are only 0.06 attacks per 100,000 people per year. This is a surprisingly low figure.

Experts from the Crocodile Study Group at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) note that of the twenty-three species of crocodiles, only eight are prone to unprovoked attacks on people.

To these aggressive species also include American alligators (which belong to the order of crocodiles, but differ in appearance - Ed.).

Alligators are often less dangerous than crocodiles because they are more selective about their prey

However, according to the IUCN, attacks by American alligators lead to fatal outcome in only 6% of cases.

Thus, the risk of dying from an alligator's teeth is very low, especially compared to a bloodthirsty Nile crocodile(63%) and saltwater crocodile (25-50%).

According to a database called CrocBITE, which records almost all crocodile attacks in the world, about 1,000 people are killed each year, with the vast majority of these deaths occurring in Africa.

Alligators are often less dangerous than crocodiles because they are more selective about their prey.

Simon Pooley, a researcher at Burbeck College, University of London, who works with the IUCN Crocodile Study Group, says crocodiles eat anything that moves, including large mammals.

People are invading natural environment habitat of alligators, and therefore the paths of these two species of living creatures inevitably intersect

Alligators, on the contrary, rarely attack people, as they feed mainly on fish, birds, other reptiles and small mammals.

Unfortunately, children are often about the same size as small mammals, and therefore can become a victim of an alligator.

However, an alligator attack on a child is a fairly rare occurrence. According to 2010 data, attacks on children account for only 13.1%.

At the same time, Langley believes that alligator attacks may become more frequent as "both the human population and the size of the alligator population grow."

In many coastal areas, people encroach on the natural habitat of alligators, and therefore the paths of these two species inevitably cross.

Fish Conservation Commission wildlife Florida receives about 16,000 complaints about alligators annually.

To coexist with large and dangerous predators, we must understand their behavior

Its staff can catch an alligator that is causing a nuisance to the local population if it is larger than 1.2 meters and "poses a threat to people, pets or property."

Smaller alligators are content with small prey and do not pose a threat unless a person provokes them.

In 2015, Commission staff captured 7,513 alligators. According to a 2014 report, 66% of nuisance alligators were eliminated "by lethal means."

Small alligators are usually simply taken to another location.

Both Pooley and Nell believe these attacks are easily preventable. But this means that you need to clearly understand all the risks and follow simple rules, developed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Nell is convinced that people can live safely around alligators if they listen to common sense.

“To coexist with large, dangerous predators, we must understand their behavior and be extremely alert when in close proximity to them,” Pooley says.

Everyone should know the rules, especially visitors and tourists. This means giving people as much information as possible.

"I think people just don't know how widespread alligators are in this area, especially right now," Pooley said. "Alligators are especially active this time of year."

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