I was only about 7 when my grandmother bestowed several important life lessons upon me: If a gator starts chasing you on land, always run in a zig-zag. Don’t climb up a tree, because they can sometimes wriggle their way 4-feet up the trunk. If a gator snags you in the water, try to grab it’s tail to surprise it and prevent it from doing the death roll.
It may sound like a weird thing for a grandma to tell her impressionable (and adorable) elementary-school-aged granddaughter. But when your relatives were among the state’s early settlers, the importance of gator safety is something that’s ingrained in you.
Especially when your great grandfather was almost eaten by one on the shores of Lake Panasoffkee.
Most likely, the lessons imparted by my grandma are probably half-accurate, half folklore. But whatevs, I still haven’t been attacked by an alligator, so I’ll assume she’s (mostly) right.
As alligator mating season heats up, here are some tips for how not to end up as lunch for a modern-day dinosaur.
Editor’s note: Don’t listen to Shelby Webb. You’re going to end up as dinner and as an item in #Florida.