­Florida Gators (reptiles, not football): Coexisting with Prehistoric Neighbors (reptiles, not the guy hoarding ironing boards and shuffleboard sticks)

Gatorland Zoo is the premier place to get up close and personal with these fantastic beasts. I highly recommend. All photos in the article were taken by me, there. Best birthday trip ever!

Urban development encroaches into the remaining undeveloped marsh, bog, and brackish places. Interactions between humans and these Cretaceous reptiles have become more frequent. Not unexpected by scientists. A big surprise for small dog owners and strolling couples at dusk near man-made lakes in developed retirement communities and entertainment resorts. (Disney, your signs need to be bigger.)

Instances of alligator attacks on humans, particularly those walking dogs near freshwater lakes, are on the rise because humans encroach carelessly, if not arrogantly. Dogs, being closer to the size of natural prey for these predators, are more likely to attract their attention. An alligator sees a small dog the same way they see a wading stork. Movement and smell deliver the same message. Food.

Here in St Pete (or The Burg, if you’re a local), parks like Sawgrass Lake Park have a congregation of alligators. If a park has a lake, even if you don’t see an alligator, there’s most likely an alligator. They do not have an active interest in us. Groups of humans are a problem to avoid instinctively. The problems and attacks shown online are a culmination of poor choices by humans while alligators are making a choice themselves about sex, food, or territory for sex and food. It’s a seasonal problem. A traveling gator isn’t hunting a human. They are looking for better grounds for sex, then some food. They are a simple ancient creature with simple ancient needs. And we have taken their ancient grounds.

Gatorland Zoo has miles of raised walkways to view alligators and crocodiles in their natural everyday awesome life.

Simple rules to coexist with simple ancient beasties:

· Keep a suitable distance from a freshwater’s edge. (Why alligators coming out of the water to eat is still a surprise, surprises me.) Alligators can run up to 20 mph on land, and swim 35 mph in their lake. A gator intent on hunting your small dog has massive velocity coming out of the water’s edge. You won’t outrun them. A good distance tells a gator you’re a bad lunch selection.

· Avoid swimming in areas known to have or have had alligators. (Darwin laughs at me while I write bullet points like this one) You can’t swim 35 mph. Alligators can stay underwater for 2 hours if resting. 10–20 minutes between breaths if they are swimming or hunting. You won’t see an alligator coming until they’ve arrive. And just because someone recently removed an alligator from a lake doesn’t mean there aren’t other alligators. Never assume a freshwater pond or lake doesn’t have an alligator, small or large.

· If you spot an alligator, don’t try to entice them with food or approach one for a selfie or TikTok vid. (Darwin points to TikTok to prove the devolving of homo sapiens) Seems self-explanatory, but there have been accidents and injuries for the sake of posting online. Gators aren’t afraid of selfie sticks. Someone tried that already.

· Mating season (typically from April to June, although climate change has them gathering earlier each year) is no time to stumble in the way of a gator on a mission. Gators looking for sexy time find themselves in residential pools, on front porches, driveways, and hidden in thick garden growth. One gator found himself stuck between a rock and an airport runway. Golf courses offer sunning platforms called putting greens, lakes called water hazards, and hot sandy spots for digesting meals called sand traps. A veritable gator designed lifestyle. Fences aren’t acknowledged as boundaries. They are on the move and looking for love. Try to see all this through the eyes of the gator.

· Dinner time for alligators is typically dusk and dawn. Alligators are opportunistic hunters, but prefer easy pickings with little risk. Keep your small dogs on a leash away from freshwater shorelines. Because you look like a server leading an hor d’oeuvre lakeside. Lake, pond, bog, or tucked away marshes at parks and preserves are all prime real estate for an alligator.

One of the old guard gators, at Gatorland. He’s so used to being King he ignores his subjects.

Arizona and Texas have venomous spiders and snakes. Louisiana has horde level fire ants. Australia has everything else and everything else wants to kill you. Florida has dinosaur reptiles that are an integral part of the fabric of Florida. Florida was once an enormous flowing, ebbing river of grass. They were here first, and are a historically significant part of this great state. Coexisting isn’t difficult. It just requires concern. You’ll have to care about wildlife. All the wildlife, not just the cute ones.

Baby gators! Gatorland has every age, size, and personality at their sanctuary location. They support global conservation efforts as well.

Then again, baby alligators are adorable! So is their baby gator call. I don’t recommend you stay long if you happen upon a baby alligator calling. Mom is on her way at top speed. She’s going to want to blame someone for her child’s poor life choice.