Crocodiles and alligators

Did you know that many locals have become used to living with alligators and crocodiles? However, it seems that visitors can’t adjust to these creatures, and rightfully so. With all these lakes and swamps, these creatures are almost everywhere in the state.

As a matter of fact, it has been estimated that Florida’s alligator population is around 1.3 million, and there are somewhere around 2,000 crocodiles in the Everglades.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission explained that there were around six documented bites every year between 1971 and 1986, a number which dramatically increased to an average of ten a year between 1987 and 2017.

Even if fatalities were extremely rare, there have been 25 recorded fatalities because of all the alligator attacks in Florida since 1948. Among the most recent deaths in Florida occurred in the 2021 summer over the 4th of July weekend.

A woman died in a retention pond in Tampa, FL. Her family stated that she oftentimes swam in that particular pond.

However, it’s worth mentioning that compared to other cases of alligator/crocodile deaths around the world, Florida is super safe, especially if there are a couple of rules well-established to maintain the safety of citizens.

Some of them might be staying out of the water where alligators live. All over the world, there are around 1,000 crocodile-inflicted deaths every year, with many of them occurring in countries with little access to emergency healthcare.