"andrei" wrote in message
om...

Watching the "Croc. Hunter" on TV with my son, I gathered he feels that
gators are, for want of a better word, tame. Despite their size and
obvious
ability to hunt man, they seldom do so (though there was a golfer who
learned that there are limits to their patience - pictures available on
the
internet, should you feel so inclined).


well, I believe that the famous golfer pictures are actually a scam
and that this is not a gator, but a croc. I am not sure where I read
this, but this is something I read on the net.


Could be. Gators aren't known for swallowing folks whole, but tend to thrash
and tear off large chunks. In any case, they are formidable animals whose
attitudes could well be worse than they are.

....stuff deleted

I have some African friends who told me how formidable and dangerous
crocs are. In fact, my high school biology teacher who was making
some photos of cros in Africa was attacked and killed. This is
dramatically different from US gators. But, keep in mind that the
gator is *not* inherently somehow smaller of weaker. I once saw a 14
foot gator lunge at an adult man and it was a very scary sight: hte
guy only survived because the gator tried to challenge and scare him
rather than eat him. Only one small foot or two separated this guys
from some truly huge jaws. So corner or startle a gator and you got
yourself a very good croc substitute.

Personally, I'd give gators plenty of room. They may not have the bad
attitude attributed to crocs, but their size, speed, and jaws must give one
pause. Of course, unlike folks who feed sharks, I have an aversion to being
eaten. While death may or may not be in the cards tomorrow, I'd generally
prefer not to be some critter's meal.

Rick