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When out roaming nature this time of year I’m on high alert – because it’s alligator mating season. The males are on the move searching for females and as such they are a bit more rambunctious (or aggressive, depending on your point of view).

It’s funny how quickly this pattern became ingrained in my head as a warning. I took an immediate step back in both instances, though a second later I realized it wasn’t necessary for the latter.

I am not overly afraid of them but I also don’t want to become a statistic. Since 1948, there have only been 26 recorded cases of human death by alligator in Florida. Considering the species now numbers over 1.3 million in the state, that’s a tiny fraction.