Are alligators more dangerous than you think?

In 1947, Dr. Ross Allen, founder of The Reptile Institute at Silver Springs, donated an alligator nicknamed “Albert” to the University of Florida. Before kickoff of every home football game, Albert was strapped to a leash and would lead the team onto the field. He was then kept on the sidelines for the rest of the game. A chain-link pen was even built near Century Tower to keep the gator.

After one alligator was killed and another was kidnapped, UF moved away from live mascots in 1970. Nevertheless, UF has always had an unusual relationship with the animals their mascot symbolizes. Today, some people pose dangerously close to them in natural areas like Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park or swim in lakes where signs with warnings of alligators litter the shores.

Either from a lapse of judgment or lack of concern to learn more about these reptiles, people seem to be growing apathetic toward the potential danger of alligators. Last year set an annual record for the number of alligator attacks in Florida. With a booming state population growth rate and expanding development, interactions between alligators and humans are likely to increase.

That being said, this column is not meant to scare anyone. It is instead meant to present facts and ideas for readers to have an informed opinion on alligators. Alligators are not man-eating beasts, but any self-respecting Floridian also knows not to take a chance with them.

The phrase “alligators are more afraid of us than we are of them” is often thrown around, but does anyone ever wonder where this statement originated? Humans and alligators have not historically coexisted on an evolutionary timescale; alligators have been on this planet for the past 35 million years. As a result, humans have always seemed foreign to alligators, which is why alligators are not natural predators to humans. However, this does not mean alligators won’t attack us. In a study of public records between 1928 and 2009, the North Carolina Department of Health found Florida averages about 200 reports of nuisance alligators and five unprovoked bites every year. Considering the chances of an encounter may be a little higher for a demographic of people that frequent nature trails and lakes with alligators present, the danger of alligators, at the very least, cannot be ignored.

It is important to note alligators do not pose the same level of danger throughout the course of a year. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, alligators are most active between temperatures of 82 degrees and 92 degrees. They stop feeding when temperatures drop below 70 degrees and become dormant at temperatures under 45 degrees. Beyond temperature, alligator activity also depends on whether it is mating season. In two weeks, mating season will begin, which means alligators will become more aggressive until August as they begin to breed and form nests. At the same time, summer is right around the corner. If Floridians are more cautious of these animals during their summer plans this year, 2017 can become an anomaly rather than the beginning of an upward trend of the number of dangerous alligator encounters.

Next time you come across one of the countless pieces of UF paraphernalia, know the symbol of an alligator wearing a turtleneck may be a bit misleading. Before wearing a UF T-shirt or going to visit one of the many natural attractions that define Gainesville, think about what it actually means to be a Florida Gator. We must give these prehistoric reptiles the healthy respect they deserve.

Joshua Udvardy is a UF environmental engineer junior. His column focuses on science.