Study Finds 96% of Gator Bites Are the Result of Risky Human Behavior

We're not saying you deserved that gator bite, but... When it comes to gator bites, it turns out we’re the problem (it’s us). Recent research has found that the vast majority of violent alligator incidents in the U.S. are provoked by “risky human behaviors.” Scientists at the University of Florida and Centre College in Kentucky conducted the study, which analyzed recorded human bites from American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) dating back to the 18th century. Nearly all of the time, the encounters were preceded by humans not paying attention or taking ill-advised risks, such as swimming in waters clearly inhabited by the ferocious reptiles. The findings show that most gator bites are preventable, the authors say. The researchers were inspired to look into the nature of gator bites by another reptile commonly—and incorrectly—blamed for attacking humans unprovoked: snakes. “I wondered if crocodilians had an unwarranted reputation for attacks the same way snakes do,” said Ma ... Read full article.