Alligator attacks are rare in Florida. But when they bite, their target is more likely a man

It’s estimated that there is one alligator for every 10-15 Floridians as the legendary reptile’s population has rebounded from near extinction to about 2 million today.

There was a time when it would be called a “chance encounter” if you even saw one lurking just below murky water ready to ambush any unfortunate prey that happened to come along or sunning itself on a bank, but encounters are more likely today.

The comeback of alligators is hailed as one of the most successful conservation efforts of all time.

Though still a federally protected species, states like Florida do have management authority, but there are strict guidelines and licensing requirements to trap and kill an alligator. As the population has grown, the chances for an encounter does, as well. As those chances grow, so do the possibilities of an attack.

From 1988 through 1999, about one person a year was being bitten by an alligator and that has grown to about seven attacks a year from 2000 through 2014. Still, the chances of being bitten or killed by an alligator are rare, but if you are a Florida man, your risks of being bitten run even higher.

According to a new study by the Journal of Wildlife Management, almost 94 percent of all alligator bites dating back to 1971 happened to Florida residents and just over 81 percent of the victims were adult males.

There are some myths the study dispels as well. For example, female alligators are known to be fierce protectors of their nests during mating season, but the study — published July 26 — could only find one example of a female alligator biting a person defending her nest.

However, the study notes, the female makes their presence very well known if someone stumbles across a nest and most people heed her very loud hissing warnings. She’ll fake charge once or twice to ward off intruders because her first instinct is to stay close to the nest, but if you stick around, she will come after you.

While adult Florida males make up the largest percentage of bite victims, it’s also male alligators who do the biting, responsible for up to 77 percent of the attacks.

Of the 372 “unprovoked” attacks recorded, 272 of the bites were classified as major injuries and there have been 37 fatalities directly related to alligator attacks since 1970 — 27 of them in Florida. Those numbers could be higher because it’s sometimes difficult to determine if the victim first drowned and an alligator fed on the body after the fact, or the other way around.

The study notes that almost 35 percent of alligator bites occur when people are feeding the reptiles and alligators in all attacks appear to be healthy animals.

“The risk of alligator bites can be reduced by educating people,” the report states.

Adam Rosenblatt, an alligator expert with the University of North Florida, told the Tampa Bay Times, “Florida has over 90 percent of all the bites in the Unites States.”

It make sense, considering Florida is the only Southeast state other than Louisiana where alligators exist in every single county. Their overall range extends from southern Oklahoma down the Gulf Coast of Texas all the way to Florida and as far north to North Carolina.

“Alligators are opportunistic eaters,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission notes on its website.

The FWC offers tips for living with alligators and has in place a statewide nuisance alligator program to ensure hostile reptiles are removed from areas where they pose a risk to a humans, pets or property by calling 866-FWC-GATOR.

The common rule in Florida is if there is a standing body of water, assume there is an alligator in it, though alligator populations are more intense the further inland you travel and more than 200,000 of the overall population is estimated to live in the Everglades.

Other tips include:

• Be aware of your surroundings when in or around bodies of water.
• Swim only in designated areas.
• Keep pets leashed and away from the water.
• Swim only during daylight hours.
• Never feed alligators. It is dangerous and illegal.

What do to if an alligator attacks:

• Alligators have a very quick burst of speed up to 11 mph but can’t sustain it for long. Your first instinct should be to run.
• If the alligator does bite, fight back, thrash, punch, eye gouge and do whatever it takes. Experts tell Business Insider, “They’re going to realize, oh gosh, i don’t to want to deal with this.”
• It is impossible to try and pry the jaws open once they close on you so your first two targets of attacking back should be the eyes and the alligator’s sensitive snout.
• “Don’t play dead or you might become dead,” experts say.
• The best solution? Stay out of their territory.