Originally published 2020-11-14.
Yes, the video is real. In November 2020, as Hurricane Eta's rain swept across south-west Florida, staff at the Valencia Golf and Country Club near Naples filmed a very large American alligator strolling across the course on high, straight legs. The clip spread fast, many viewers assumed it was edited, and several alligator specialists who reviewed it said there was nothing fake or abnormal about it. What made it look strange was the way the animal was walking.
Below we look at what the video actually shows, how big the alligator probably was, why it looked like a dinosaur, and what you should do if you meet one on a fairway.
What happened at the Naples golf course
The footage was shot from a golf cart as the alligator crossed a stretch of grass towards a pond. It was widely shared on 12 November 2020 by Matt Devitt, chief meteorologist at WINK News in Fort Myers, who credited the video to Jeff Jones; at least one national outlet named a different club employee as the person filming. Eta had briefly regained hurricane strength in the Gulf of Mexico that week before weakening, and the stormy weather explains the grey light and wet grass in the clip.
The tweet that took the video viral is embedded below.
HUGE FLORIDA GATOR! 🐊👀 Yep, this monster is real. Caught on camera during Hurricane #Eta in Naples. Credit: Jeff Jones @WINKNews pic.twitter.com/LGn0Hb19Rd
— Matt Devitt (@MattDevittWINK) November 12, 2020
Why so many people thought it was fake
Most people only ever see an alligator floating, with just its eyes and nostrils above water, or lying flat on a bank. In this video the animal is up on its legs, its body lifted well clear of the ground, and its legs look surprisingly long. That combination made viewers suspect a stretched or edited clip.
Experts explained it as the "high walk", one of two ways alligators move on land. In a low walk or belly crawl the body slides close to the ground. In a high walk the animal raises itself on nearly straight legs and moves diagonal pairs together, right front with left back and so on. John Brueggen of the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park said few people get to see this gait, and told reporters there is nothing abnormal about this alligator.
Brandon Fisher of Gatorland in Orlando agreed that the clip looked genuine.
James Nifong, an alligator researcher then with the University of Florida's "Croc Docs" team, made the same point to the BBC: out of the water you finally see how big these animals really are. He added a reminder every Floridian should keep in mind: In Florida, anywhere there is water, there can be an alligator.
How big was it, really?
Early posts estimated the animal at up to 12 feet (3.7 metres). Nobody measured it, so that number is a guess, and camera angle can make a large animal look bigger still. Even so, it is a plausible size for an old male.
Here is what is known about American alligators:
- Adult males typically reach about 3.4 metres (11 feet) and can weigh around 360 kg (790 lb).
- Adult females are smaller, usually around 2.6 metres (8.5 feet).
- Exceptional males can approach 4.6 metres (15 feet).
- The largest verified alligator from Florida measured 4.23 metres (13 feet 11 inches) and weighed 473 kg (1,043 lb).
So a 10 to 12-foot male crossing a golf course is impressive but not unusual in Florida, especially in a wet, warm area with plenty of ponds and food.
Why alligators love golf courses
Golf courses in Florida are, from an alligator's point of view, excellent habitat. They combine ponds and canals with open, sunny banks for basking, and the water holds fish, turtles and wading birds. Heavy rain during storms like Eta also pushes alligators to move between flooded water bodies, which is one reason sightings rise after big storms.
The species has also made a remarkable comeback. Hunting and habitat loss pushed it into steep decline, and it was listed as endangered in 1967. Protection worked: the US Fish and Wildlife Service declared it recovered in 1987, and today the IUCN rates it as Least Concern. Alligators are now found across almost all of Florida, from the northern rivers to the Everglades. Some people describe them as "living dinosaurs"; strictly speaking they are not dinosaurs, but crocodilians are an ancient group whose relatives lived alongside them.
How dangerous are alligators to people?
Serious attacks are rare, but they do happen. Florida has documented a few hundred alligator bites since 1948, an average of roughly five a year, with about two dozen deaths over that whole period. Across the United States, at least 28 fatal attacks have been recorded since 1970. Compared with the millions of people who live, golf and fish near alligator waters, the risk is low, but it is not zero, and small pets are at greater risk than adults.
A common myth is that alligators can outrun a person over any distance. They can lunge and move quickly over a few metres, mostly near the water's edge, but they do not chase people across open ground for long. Keeping your distance is far more important than counting on speed.
Practical safety tips if you live near alligators
- Keep well back. Give any alligator, large or small, plenty of room, and never try to touch, move or photograph it up close.
- Never feed them. Feeding teaches alligators to link people with food, which is how many problem animals are created. In Florida it is illegal.
- Swim only in designated areas and avoid the water from dusk to dawn, when alligators are most active.
- Watch pets and children near ponds, canals and lake shores, including on golf courses and in housing developments.
- Report a problem animal. In Florida, call the FWC Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286). The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission can send a contracted trapper if an alligator is a threat to people, pets or property.
For golfers there is a simple rule: if a ball lands next to a pond with an alligator nearby, take the penalty and drop a new one.
Sources: American alligator (Wikipedia); NBC News; Yahoo News, expert comments; Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Video: Valencia Golf and Country Club, shared by Matt Devitt / WINK News.
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