Q&A – What’s the Best Way to Run Away From an Alligator?
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
Social: @brianmuddradio
iHeartRadio: Use the Talkback feature – the microphone button on our station page in the iHeart app.
Today’s Entry: Submitted via Talkback regarding the running ability of Alligators.
Bottom Line: It could be a pond, a lake, a golf course’s water trap or yes – brackish water in the Everglades (or even every once in a blue moon on or near the beach – though those sightings are more likely to be crocodiles)... If there’s a fresh body of water in Florida, there’s the possibility for gators to be in it. All told, Florida has an estimated 1.3 million alligators throughout the state. Fun Fact: Florida is not the top state for alligators – it's #2 to Louisiana which has 2 million gators! While alligators can be found all throughout the state – the largest population of gators in Florida is within the Everglades they’re synonymous with. Hence the name “Alligator Alcatraz” for the newly opened detainment and detention facility at the largely unused Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.
There are currently 200,000 American alligators estimated to live in the Everglades, by way of comparison the next largest concentration of alligators is Lake Okeechobee, the largest lake, with 30,000. Incidentally, there are approximately 2,000 American crocodiles in the Everglades as well. But in any event, as President Trump was leaving the White House to tour Alligator Alcatraz, in a moment of levity when he was asked by a reporter about wildlife, he had this to say: Snakes are fast, but alligators...we’re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator, ok. If they escape prison. Don’t run in a straight line, run like this (waves hand in a zig zag pattern) and you know what? Your chances go up by about 1%. And with that debate about the best way to avoid an alligator ensued. So, what is the best way to avoid an alligator?
Contrary to the long-held myth about zigzagging, that probably isn’t the answer. As was mentioned by the listener who submitted today’s talkback, alligators aren’t exactly distance runners. Unless you’re standing right next to the alligator at the time it attacks, the odds are pretty good that you can outrun it but probably not by zigzaging which slows you down. Alligators are incredibly fast ambushers, but they’re not necessary faster than you...on land. While alligators can swim at up to 20 mph, they actually top out at 11 mph on land with the average running speed that’s been calculated by the University of Florida checking in at 9.5 mph. For comparison’s sake the average sprint speed of a human is about 12 mph.
What’s more is that alligators can only keep it up for about 30 feet. They’re not exactly marathon runners, meaning that while an alligator might have a much quicker first step than you, even a slightly out of shape person with a ton of adrenaline kicking in stands an awfully good chance of out running a gator. For that reason, it’s almost certainly the best idea to run as fast as you can in a straight line if you ever found yourself in the situation. On that note...here’s the alligator encounter scorecard...
According to data from Florida Fish and Wildlife, from 1948 through 2024 there were a total of 487 “unprovoked bites”, or only an average of about six to seven per year. Of those, only 27 have been fatal with almost all of those either in the water or on the water’s edge. Based on historical data, if you’re bitten by an alligator on land, your odds of surviving are 99%. That speaks to the ability to generally be able to run away from an alligator even after having been attacked. In water, the odds of surviving are still high but far lower at around 85%.
In a lot of ways, alligators are similar to sharks. They both have reputations regarding their risk to people that’s much worse than the actual risk. And, to that end, if you see them and make an effort to avoid them, you’re almost certainly going to be alright. Now, if you’re in the middle of the Everglades and have endless miles of gators and crocs and snakes to navigate...that may be a different story for any attempted jail breaks at Alligator Alcatraz.