Alligator Tips

A series of deaths involving alligators were reported in Florida this summer, but Ken R. Marion, the chair of the Department of Biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said there is no need to overreact.

"They're not dangerous in most situations," he said. "They typically don't go out of their way to harm you."

While they don't go out of their way to harm you, make it a point not to get in their way. For instance, don't swim at night in an area where you know there are alligators. Your visibility is hindered, and alligators are more apt to feed in the cooler evening temperatures.

--LiveScience Staff

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Credit:  USFWS