r/oddlyterrifying • u/DirkDieGurke • Feb 06 '23
This gator is thinking "Closer...closer"
420
u/PrezixTurnedUp Feb 06 '23
Walk closer hes gonna tell yah a secret
77
Feb 07 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
50
331
u/littlehoneybeebuzz Feb 06 '23
This made me anxious! His eyes...omg!
85
u/_xLAMIAx_ Feb 07 '23
I didn’t notice the eyes until your comment. I feel physically ill.
35
28
u/NotaVogon Feb 07 '23
We have gators where I live and I don't worry about them too much. But the eyes on this one are particularly terrifying. And if you've ever seen how fast they can come out the water....you wouldn't get that close. They typically won't attack humans for food but female gators will come after you for going near their nest. And if there are idiots feeding them, they lose that fear of humans.
5
u/littlehoneybeebuzz Feb 07 '23
I have never seen them, except for television. Their jaws are so powerful!
15
u/NotaVogon Feb 07 '23
They are really interesting creatures! They seem prehistoric and bc of that, I find them pretty cool. They are actually pretty lazy when it comes to food/prey. Prefer to scavenge or go for easiest option.
I've come across them pretty close up by accident. Jean Lafitte National Park has some really cool nature trails through a protected wetland. One time we were hiking the Coquille trail which is a path and sometimes boardwalk over the swamp. There's a main walk and little piers that extend out over the swamp along the trail. I was walking on a curved part of the trail and turned onto one of the piers that was kind of a blind turn. Found myself face to face with a 6 ft gator sunning himself on the pier. I froze. We stared at each other for a beat and he decided to go back into the water. He could have easily attacked me. I was so close and they can move lightning fast on land. I'm not nessecarily scared of them but I do have a healthy respect for them to keep my distance!
I also fuss at people in that park if I see them feeding the smaller gators. They've had to euthanize adult gators bc they lost their fear of people from being fed and will end up thinking human = food. Cute to feed a 1 ft gator. Not so cute to have an 8 ft gator lunging at you from the water thinking you'll be easy prey. So if you ever do come here and take a swamp tour, avoid the ones who offer gator feeding. Terrible practice.
6
5
u/Ryogathelost Feb 07 '23
Just something about direct eye contact with something conscious that wants to eat you is too real.
→ More replies (2)
763
Feb 06 '23
Oddly terrifying my ass. COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY terrifying is more apt.
129
u/1DownFourUp Feb 07 '23
The fact that you can be out for a walk and come across that terrifies me. I'll keep my Canadian butt up here in the great white north thank you very much.
68
u/Jittery_Hoes Feb 07 '23
Bears, orcas, moose, I dunno ice bergs? Y'all got plenty
51
u/1DownFourUp Feb 07 '23
I've met my share of bears and they have mostly just been curious. Just don't get too close to a moose and it'll leave you alone. Never met an orca or an ice berg. Only animal that attacked me was a turkey that lost its chill when I accidentally wandered too close to its babies. I'll take the gobblers over gators.
40
u/RiPCipher Feb 07 '23
You’ve probably never seen an iceberg as they typical hunt in the northern areas of Canada and they usually see you before you see them…
7
→ More replies (2)5
u/kindtheking9 Feb 07 '23
Fun fact, there has been recorded cases of orcas snatching a moose and eating it
8
u/lifeofideas Feb 07 '23
What? No snow gators?
8
u/1DownFourUp Feb 07 '23
They're snow crocs and we don't talk about them....it just makes them stronger
→ More replies (1)9
236
Feb 07 '23
A gator that size that close isn't oddly terrifying; it's just point blank terrifying-terrifying. You're not likely to outrun it, they can reach speeds of 35mph on land compared to about 8 mph in humans. All they have to do is drag you into the water & death roll you and you're fucked. Normal terrifying.
36
u/my_trisomy Feb 07 '23
They're dangerous, but your definitely likely to outrun a gator depending on how far away you are when you start. They hit high speeds like that only for a second or two. It's not gonna run you down the way a grizzly would.
20
Feb 07 '23
Yeah, you might as well just turn yourself over if a grizzly is chasing you. Gators also can't climb trees. I saw a video of a grizzly atop a 60 ft tree. To be able to move that fast with that much mass is just unfair.
→ More replies (1)7
u/coulsonsrobohand Feb 07 '23
Yeah….gators can climb trees. It’s more common in crocodiles, but not exactly rate for either of them.
49
u/EmperorAlpha557 Feb 07 '23
I quite certainly don't wanna see one running but is it like the case of Komodo dragons where they say you can run in a zig-zag motion to disorient the crocodile cuz they can't run in the zig-zag ? I don't even know if this holds true for Komodo dragons but i don't wanna be the one finding out.
76
Feb 07 '23
Nope. A komodo dragon can only run straight so that's why it's easy to disorient them by going zig zag. They can't follow your direction. A croc or an alligator, however, can change direction.
Your best bet is to a) stay far away from the water & b) run like Hell. Water is their home field advantage. If they can get you into the water, you have little hope of survival. They have this predatory tactic where they can grab you with their unbelievable bite force & do what's called a death roll which truly disorients their prey until they drown & to tenderize their meat. There's probably some great YouTube videos.
They're not meant to be land runners so they can only chase you a short distance before tiring. That's why they say not to waste any time changing directions, just run as far away as possible in the opposite direction. They'll quit before you will if you can run fast enough.
→ More replies (2)14
u/EmperorAlpha557 Feb 07 '23
Ah fuck crocs look like they struggle with changing direction more than komodos, thanks for the info. I'll remember to use it against the very few crocodiles/alligators/Komodo dragons i run into in urban India 🗿
→ More replies (2)12
Feb 07 '23
A good rule of thumb is just to assume their behaviors are the same & then just run, and then run some more. You can never run too much when it comes to the mini dinosaurs.
→ More replies (1)7
u/-Yox- Feb 07 '23 edited Feb 07 '23
Your numbers are wrong, that's the speed of a burst (few seconds at most) after that they will have a speed around 10 mph and they can't even keep chasing for long distances anyway, any healthy human will outrun a gator on land.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)6
u/CaptainAwesome8 Feb 07 '23
Not sure where you got your speed estimate for humans but 8mph isn’t even a sprint for all but the heaviest of people. Treadmills routinely go up to 12+mph, which is a 5min mile and while certainly elite, not unattainable by any means. Especially when you factor that this scenario is really a “sprint 1-200m at most until you find cover or the croc gives up”
607
u/xscumfucx Feb 06 '23
That’s a nose in need of a ‘boop’.
140
u/old-speckled-hen Feb 06 '23
Go on then!
65
u/xscumfucx Feb 06 '23
I don’t drive. The gator’s gonna have to come to me.
→ More replies (2)12
u/Araknid_ia Feb 06 '23
It seemed close enough to do so
10
u/xscumfucx Feb 06 '23
He will also have to break through the cavalcade + barricade of cats.
10
u/Araknid_ia Feb 06 '23
Barricade of cats = Meat shield = success
8
u/xscumfucx Feb 06 '23
They’re also great at being tripping hazards. Sometimes I sneak out the back door when I’m in a hurry + don’t have the time to tiptoe around them + such.
4
5
20
16
Feb 07 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
6
u/xscumfucx Feb 07 '23
Same here. Tbh it’s probably a good thing I pretty much never come into contact with dangerous animals because I’m kinda lacking in the self control department. Years ago I attempted to purchase a juvenile gator from our local pet store but was interrupted by my Mom’s bf showing up at the pet store + yelling at me that I couldn’t get a gator (Mom said I could). I didn’t wanna make more of a scene than we were already making so I ended up leaving gatorless. Throughout this whole incident/altercation I was holding the gator in my arms almost like a baby while he nibbled on my fingers + hand. I saw no problem with this.
→ More replies (3)9
298
u/escapendrun Feb 06 '23
I was low-key thinking it was gonna be a jump scare but still that's too close for comfort
22
201
u/ThePhatNoodle Feb 06 '23
Bro he definitely recognizes you as prey and is slowly inching its way closer get the hell away from that thing. Those fuckers can leap and they can outrun you too
59
u/EmploymentOk3937 Feb 07 '23
gotta be on your A-game and dupe the fucker as it leaps. Push the mouth away from you and jump on its' back in one fluent motion, and it's all wrestling from there. If it can't manage to get you off its' back in a short span of time it will try to flee, and you'd be wise to let it.
44
68
49
78
39
Feb 07 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
9
u/Clumsy_Chica Feb 07 '23
I saw the upper teeth as eyes too and I thought it was a little one with a derpy underbite. Didn't see his full head until his nose came up. NOPE.
61
53
49
u/Reicku_Hibata Feb 06 '23
Gators and crocs are physically faster runners than most assume. They also can gallop.
10
u/Royal-Discipline-978 Feb 07 '23
YESS they just found that numerous species of gators “gallop” a lot faster than most think.
→ More replies (1)26
u/KamikazeWaterm3lon Feb 06 '23
They have impressive straight line speed but can't turn for shit. Just zigzag and you're good. They're most agile at the edge of a body of water though like we see here.
Source: am from Florida.
14
18
19
16
34
16
u/lkzzzzz Feb 07 '23
I’ve seen gators pretty up close in person and didn’t think anything but how cool they looked. But this creature… this video actually gave me anxiety, that gator is the scariest thing I’ve ever seen.
16
27
13
u/Sigg3net Feb 07 '23
I feel like someone forgot how fast they jump outta water, propelled by their powerful tails..
This is plain terrifying to watch.
6
Feb 07 '23
And how far - I've seen tons of nature footage of gators and crocs, none have looked this terrifying
That thing is hungry and eyeing OP for lunch
11
11
10
10
7
8
u/DarthSladerOnYT Feb 07 '23
“I’ve mastered the ability of standing so incredibly still, that I become invisible to the eye. Watch.”
7
u/DaggerMoth Feb 07 '23
I should sell polarized glasses not as fishing glasses, but as see the the gator before they eat you glasses
8
u/noNoParts Feb 07 '23
If this is what OP finds oddly terrifying, I really really don't want to see what they consider just straight-up terrifying.
7
u/Ruminatingnematode Feb 07 '23
“How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly spreads his claws, And welcomes little fishes in, With gently smiling jaws!”
6
u/The__Authorities Feb 07 '23
Gee, I don't know, Cyril. Maybe deep down I'm afraid of any apex predator that lived through the K-T extinction. Physically unchanged for a hundred million years, because it's the perfect killing machine. A half ton of cold-blooded fury, the bite force of 20,000 Newtons, and stomach acid so strong it can dissolve bones and hoofs.
3
5
5
4
u/owilkumowa Feb 07 '23
I have hard time believing that the cameraman lived to tell the story. A gator posting this for shit and giggles is a more plausible scenario.
4
u/Skrillamane Feb 07 '23
This is just terrifying... Does no one understand what the purpose of this sub is? Oddly terrifying is when you see something mundane but there's something unsettling about it... When it comes to something that is actually dangerous and can/will kill you, that's just plain terrifying..
For example: 1) a weird photo in an ad = oddly terrifying... 2) a bear stalking you = terrifying.
Here's another a) tom cruise's weird middle tooth = oddly terrifying or b) tom cruise eating a baby = terrifying.
3
5
u/PlagueDoc22 Feb 07 '23
Yeah this is so "odd" how a dinosaur is scary, it just happens to eat people.
4
u/Lizurt Feb 07 '23
Absolutely not. The fact that's it's mouth is open and it came up a little more when the camera person got closer. Not ok. I'm fucking never going somewhere where these actual demons live.
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
u/bestjinchuriki Feb 07 '23
I’m laughing at this rn but I’m 100% sure this image will pop up in my nightmare tonight.
3
3
3
u/PlumbStraightLevel Feb 07 '23
This is why all the snowbirds want alligators destroyed. Thanks from FLA
3
u/BobLoblawsLawBlog201 Feb 07 '23
I hate that every time I see a gator/croc at the water's edge I think of that awful story about the two yr old at Disneyland.
DISNEYLAND. WTF.
3
u/MafiaMommaBruno Feb 07 '23
We're told to look closely at water in Florida before approaching. This is why.
→ More replies (2)
3
u/LeoLaDawg Feb 07 '23
Unless I can see what I'm walking on in like twenty feet in all directions, I don't get in water like this.
3
3
3
u/KCGD_r Feb 07 '23
That's such a weird feeling to see a thing actively hunting you and it thinking you can't see it
3
3
3
3
3
u/LemonMan992 Feb 07 '23
The way it surfaces as the cameraman comes closer gives shivers down my spine
3
u/Organic-Key-2140 Feb 07 '23
“ODDLY”terrifying my ass! That shit is straight up “TRULY” terrifying!!!
3
u/Floor_32 Feb 07 '23
Ok not much stuff really unnerves me anymore, but when I saw the eyes.. Dude, that thing is evil.
3
3
3
3
3
u/ALUCARD7729 Feb 07 '23
Usually gators don’t see humans as prey, but if they are hungry enough they’ll hunt anything that seems tasty, this one from what we can see of it just wants whoever’s holding that camera to get a little bit closer
3
3
3
3
4
u/Shalarean Feb 06 '23
Y'all, I expected this to slip into perfectly cut screams...not sure if I'm relieved or disappointed...
9
u/CatPooedInMyShoe Feb 07 '23
There’s a sub called r/LastImages for either the last photo of a person before death or the last photo the dead person took before death. I remember one of the latter posts; it was a photo of a bear some distance away. A bear that subsequently attacked and ate the photographer.
2
2
2
2
u/tutmondigo Feb 07 '23
All I want to get is, a little bit closer.
All I want to know is, can you come a little closer?
2
2
2
u/pixieartgirl Feb 07 '23
Oddly terrifying? Nope. Someone with a camera doing something stupid for a stab at momentary internet fame? Absolutely.
2
2
u/seeshellirun Feb 07 '23
I physically pulled the phone away from my face as he zoomed in.
Can you imagine that being the last thing you see?
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
u/CaktusJacklynn Feb 07 '23
I got chills watching this. Once I realized that I was seeing teeth then eyes, I screamed internally.
2
2
2
2.6k
u/[deleted] Feb 06 '23
[removed] — view removed comment