July 3, 2025 • 10 mins
Contrary to the long-held myth about zigzagging, that probably isn’t the answer.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Your questions, Brian's answers. It's time for today's Q and A.
Today this is the Brian Mud Show.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yeah, today's un a futures a demonstration by Joel. So
today's KI what's the best way to run away from
an alligator?
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Why are you laughing? Joel? I'm thinking that you you
have like a piece of meat. I mean, I would
think it'd be kind of similar to like running from
a lion. You want to throw that piece of meat
and then get get the heck out of there. Hope
that just anticipate that if you end up in that situation,
you're gonna have meat. Well, I mean, if I'm probably
(00:48):
through the Everglades, you're gonna have meat on it. That's
a good idea, that's highly advisable. I'll have a quarter
pound or something. You know that does sound like you
everybody else?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Oh that's right, everybody else has a backpack with supplies.
You've got a fanny pack in Big Mac. You know
that that does.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
I don't do the Big Mac, but yeah, the quarter
and uh probably don't want the fries, so I'll just
keep those. Please tell me you're not doing the fanny packs. No,
Joel brought the fanny pack. Also, I'm also not going
into the Everglades, so in.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Case you missed that, And this is an important thing
to know the reason why American stereotypes exist in Europe
is because of fanny packs.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
If you want, if you want to very quickly, I've
never even had a fanny pack, But then what am
I doing to have to need one?
Speaker 2 (01:39):
I mean Americans who like Americans, don't let them wear
fanny packs, especially in Europe. Just saying, uh Q and A,
what is about what's the best way to run from
an alligator? And uh yeah, I having food on you
is a bad idea to be In general, being around
an alligator feeding an alligator's shoals just is an even
(02:00):
worse idea. But every day this brought to you by
Melissa and Ashes. Check my collections the least aspects of it.
I don't think you would necessarily want to sponsor all
of the content here, but every day I do feature.
Hey listener a questions send by one of these methods.
You may email me Brian Mud at iHeartMedia dot com,
hit me up on social at Brian Mud. Radio may
(02:22):
also use the iHeartRadio talk back feature. Just go into
the app and go ahead and make some things happen.
You'll see a little microphone button for example when you
find us, and when you do you can leave a
message there maybe for a future Q and A just
like this one.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
This is Rob from West Palm. You don't have to
actually run along a far distance to get away from
a gator. They only have short distance running ability, if
that's even a thing.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, so Rob from West Palm knows exactly what he's
talking about here. It could be a pond like a
golf course's water trap, or yes, bractish water in the Efforglades,
everyone's in a balloon and moon on or near the beach.
Although a lot of times those sidings people think they're
alligators actually crocodiles that are, you know, perfectly at home
in the salt water. But anyway, if there's a fresh
(03:09):
body of water in Florida, there is the possibility for
gators to.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Be in it.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
All told, Florida has an estimated one point three million
alligators throughout our state. And I've got a fun fact
that kind of goes along with this. Did you know
that Florida is not the top state for alligators?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Which one is?
Speaker 4 (03:28):
Show I would believe that would be uh, Louisiana.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
You are right by you country winds bigly as they
have two million estimated gators, so quite a few more
than we do. And while alligators can be found all
throughout the state, the largest population of gators in Florida
is yes, in the Everglades. They's synonymous with, hence the
name Alligator Alcatraz for the newly open detainment of detention
(03:53):
facility at the largely unused DAID call your Training and
Transition Airport, So anyway, to give you an idea, they're
currently two hundred thousand American alligators estimated to live in
the Everglades. By way of comparison, the next largest concentration
of gators probably where you would expect them to be
Leco to Leco, far and away the biggest lake. How
(04:15):
many are there thirty thousand, thirty thousand and two hundred
thousand the ef Glades. Incidentally, there are approximately two thousand
American crocodiles in the Effglades as well. But in any event,
as President Trump was leaving the White House to tour
Alligator Alcatraz, in a moment of levity, he was asked
by a reporter about wildlife. He had this to say.
(04:38):
He said, snakes are fast, but alligators. We're gonna teach
them how to run away from an alligator. Okay, if
they escape prison. Joel's face palming is you'll run in
the straight line, run like this, and he's waving his
hand in his exact pattern, and you know what, your
(04:58):
chances go up by about on one percent. My reenactment
there done very well, done very well, by the way.
I just I don't know what Joel's laughing harder at
the awesome impersonation there or the.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Content of it.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
It's a tie, okay.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
And with that, debate about the best way to avoid
an alligator ensued. So what is actually the best way
to avoid an alligator?
Speaker 2 (05:25):
There is an answer to this, very very detailed and
specific one in case, Joel, you ever find yourself with
big max round gators. And I don't think that would
ever happen the Everglades, but just like in your neighborhood
or something.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
Yeah, I'm never going to the Everglades.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Contrary to the long held myth about zigzagging, that is
not going to be your answer. As was mentioned by
the listener who submitted today's talk back, alligators not exactly
distance runners. You take a look at their size, you
take a look at those short, stubby legs, not made
for marathons. So unless you're standing right next to the
alligator at the time of attacks, you're not pretty good
(06:04):
that you can outrun it, but probably not by zigzagging,
which only slows you down. The whole thing is, well,
they don't have hips, they can't turn, you know, and
it's not like these aren't like, you know, tigers on
the planes, you know what I mean, It's not that
kind of deal. They're not tracking. You suffer step that way. Well,
(06:26):
alligators can swim. They are prolific swimmers at up to
twenty miles an hour, so you're not going to outswim them.
They actually top out at eleven miles an hour on land.
That's like the fastest that's ever been recorded is eleven
miles an hour on land. The average running speed calculated
by the University of Florida for an alligator on land,
(06:49):
well obviously running nine and a half miles an hour.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Nine and a half.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
For comparison, say the average sprint speed of a human
about twelve miles an hour. If you are actually a runner,
that can get close to twenty. If you're like an Olympia,
that can be mid up or twenties. What's more is
that alligators can only keep it up for about thirty feet,
which should be the next kind of like interesting exercise
with joellet demonstrating this.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Can Joel sprint for further.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Than thirty feet, I'll take the overrun that I think
you get forty five.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Yeah, maybe I put you at forty five.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
So they're not exactly marathon runners, meaning that while an
alligator might have a much quicker first step than you,
even a slightly out of shape person with a ton
of adrenaline kicking in, because like, holy crap, alligator, you
stand it.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Off with a good chance of being able to outrun
the gator.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
For that reason, it's almost certainly the best idea just
to run as fast as you can a straight line,
get the heck out of there if you ever find
yourself in that situation. On that note, here's the alligator
and encounter scorecard, because I also think this is instructive.
According to data from Florida Fish and Wildlife, so this
is only for the state of Florida for nineteen forty
eight through twenty twenty there were a total of four
(08:02):
hundred and eighty seven unprovoked bites. Because back to the hey,
here's an alligator, let's feed it thing.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
I was gonna say what people are provoking, Yes you are.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
I only say for me to say, you're dumb if
if you are feeding an alligator.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
I was only going to throw the quarter pounder at
it if it had its jaws open. You know, I
thought I could get away while it's you know, trying
to catch the uh, the burger.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
I wasn't like bringing it there to feed it.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
All right, So yes, there are many more if you
take into account people that are like, hey, let's feed
the alligator.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Can't help those people.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
But for the unprovoked ones, four hundred and eighty seven
of those, or an average of only about six to
seven per year, And of those only twenty seven have
been fatal. That's it, with almost all those either in
the water or on the water's edge. In fact, based
on historical data, if you are bitten by an alligator
on land, your odds of surviving are over ninety nine percent.
(09:05):
So that speaks to your ability that even if they
got you, you know, even if you're bitten somewhere you
still are able to get away from them.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
In water, none as good.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Your odds are surviving actually still maybe higher than you
would have thought, but a lot lower, around eighty five percent.
And the big thing is if you get bitten in
the water, it's one thing you get away, but like
if they get hold of you know something, armle just
unhappy thoughts all the way around.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Right, that's when you're in trouble.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Because the most common way that you die with an
alligator is by drowning, because they do death rolls, so
they grab you and then they go under, and so
in a lot of ways, alligators similar to sharks. They
both have reputations regarding their risks to people. It's actually
much worse than the actual risk. And to that end,
if you see them and make an effort to avoid them,
(09:53):
you're almost certainly going to be okay.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Now, if you're in the middle of.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
The Everglades and you have endless miles of gaiters and
crocks and snakes, navigat might be a different story.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Running of the attempt to jail breaks at alligator Alcatraz
Your questions, Brian's answers. It's time for today's Q and A.
Today this is the Brian Mud Show.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yeah, today's un a futures a demonstration by Joel. So
today's KI what's the best way to run away from
an alligator?
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Why are you laughing? Joel? I'm thinking that you you
have like a piece of meat. I mean, I would
think it'd be kind of similar to like running from
a lion. You want to throw that piece of meat
and then get get the heck out of there. Hope
that just anticipate that if you end up in that situation,
you're gonna have meat. Well, I mean, if I'm probably
(00:48):
through the Everglades, you're gonna have meat on it. That's
a good idea, that's highly advisable. I'll have a quarter
pound or something. You know that does sound like you
everybody else?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Oh that's right, everybody else has a backpack with supplies.
You've got a fanny pack in Big Mac. You know
that that does.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
I don't do the Big Mac, but yeah, the quarter
and uh probably don't want the fries, so I'll just
keep those. Please tell me you're not doing the fanny packs. No,
Joel brought the fanny pack. Also, I'm also not going
into the Everglades, so in.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Case you missed that, And this is an important thing
to know the reason why American stereotypes exist in Europe
is because of fanny packs.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
If you want, if you want to very quickly, I've
never even had a fanny pack, But then what am
I doing to have to need one?
Speaker 2 (01:39):
I mean Americans who like Americans, don't let them wear
fanny packs, especially in Europe. Just saying, uh Q and A,
what is about what's the best way to run from
an alligator? And uh yeah, I having food on you
is a bad idea to be In general, being around
an alligator feeding an alligator's shoals just is an even
(02:00):
worse idea. But every day this brought to you by
Melissa and Ashes. Check my collections the least aspects of it.
I don't think you would necessarily want to sponsor all
of the content here, but every day I do feature.
Hey listener a questions send by one of these methods.
You may email me Brian Mud at iHeartMedia dot com,
hit me up on social at Brian Mud. Radio may
(02:22):
also use the iHeartRadio talk back feature. Just go into
the app and go ahead and make some things happen.
You'll see a little microphone button for example when you
find us, and when you do you can leave a
message there maybe for a future Q and A just
like this one.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
This is Rob from West Palm. You don't have to
actually run along a far distance to get away from
a gator. They only have short distance running ability, if
that's even a thing.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, so Rob from West Palm knows exactly what he's
talking about here. It could be a pond like a
golf course's water trap, or yes, bractish water in the Efforglades,
everyone's in a balloon and moon on or near the beach.
Although a lot of times those sidings people think they're
alligators actually crocodiles that are, you know, perfectly at home
in the salt water. But anyway, if there's a fresh
(03:09):
body of water in Florida, there is the possibility for
gators to.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Be in it.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
All told, Florida has an estimated one point three million
alligators throughout our state. And I've got a fun fact
that kind of goes along with this. Did you know
that Florida is not the top state for alligators?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Which one is?
Speaker 4 (03:28):
Show I would believe that would be uh, Louisiana.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
You are right by you country winds bigly as they
have two million estimated gators, so quite a few more
than we do. And while alligators can be found all
throughout the state, the largest population of gators in Florida
is yes, in the Everglades. They's synonymous with, hence the
name Alligator Alcatraz for the newly open detainment of detention
(03:53):
facility at the largely unused DAID call your Training and
Transition Airport, So anyway, to give you an idea, they're
currently two hundred thousand American alligators estimated to live in
the Everglades. By way of comparison, the next largest concentration
of gators probably where you would expect them to be
Leco to Leco, far and away the biggest lake. How
(04:15):
many are there thirty thousand, thirty thousand and two hundred
thousand the ef Glades. Incidentally, there are approximately two thousand
American crocodiles in the Effglades as well. But in any event,
as President Trump was leaving the White House to tour
Alligator Alcatraz, in a moment of levity, he was asked
by a reporter about wildlife. He had this to say.
(04:38):
He said, snakes are fast, but alligators. We're gonna teach
them how to run away from an alligator. Okay, if
they escape prison. Joel's face palming is you'll run in
the straight line, run like this, and he's waving his
hand in his exact pattern, and you know what, your
(04:58):
chances go up by about on one percent. My reenactment
there done very well, done very well, by the way.
I just I don't know what Joel's laughing harder at
the awesome impersonation there or the.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Content of it.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
It's a tie, okay.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
And with that, debate about the best way to avoid
an alligator ensued. So what is actually the best way
to avoid an alligator?
Speaker 2 (05:25):
There is an answer to this, very very detailed and
specific one in case, Joel, you ever find yourself with
big max round gators. And I don't think that would
ever happen the Everglades, but just like in your neighborhood
or something.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
Yeah, I'm never going to the Everglades.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Contrary to the long held myth about zigzagging, that is
not going to be your answer. As was mentioned by
the listener who submitted today's talk back, alligators not exactly
distance runners. You take a look at their size, you
take a look at those short, stubby legs, not made
for marathons. So unless you're standing right next to the
alligator at the time of attacks, you're not pretty good
(06:04):
that you can outrun it, but probably not by zigzagging,
which only slows you down. The whole thing is, well,
they don't have hips, they can't turn, you know, and
it's not like these aren't like, you know, tigers on
the planes, you know what I mean, It's not that
kind of deal. They're not tracking. You suffer step that way. Well,
(06:26):
alligators can swim. They are prolific swimmers at up to
twenty miles an hour, so you're not going to outswim them.
They actually top out at eleven miles an hour on land.
That's like the fastest that's ever been recorded is eleven
miles an hour on land. The average running speed calculated
by the University of Florida for an alligator on land,
(06:49):
well obviously running nine and a half miles an hour.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Nine and a half.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
For comparison, say the average sprint speed of a human
about twelve miles an hour. If you are actually a runner,
that can get close to twenty. If you're like an Olympia,
that can be mid up or twenties. What's more is
that alligators can only keep it up for about thirty feet,
which should be the next kind of like interesting exercise
with joellet demonstrating this.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Can Joel sprint for further.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Than thirty feet, I'll take the overrun that I think
you get forty five.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Yeah, maybe I put you at forty five.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
So they're not exactly marathon runners, meaning that while an
alligator might have a much quicker first step than you,
even a slightly out of shape person with a ton
of adrenaline kicking in, because like, holy crap, alligator, you
stand it.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Off with a good chance of being able to outrun
the gator.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
For that reason, it's almost certainly the best idea just
to run as fast as you can a straight line,
get the heck out of there if you ever find
yourself in that situation. On that note, here's the alligator
and encounter scorecard, because I also think this is instructive.
According to data from Florida Fish and Wildlife, so this
is only for the state of Florida for nineteen forty
eight through twenty twenty there were a total of four
(08:02):
hundred and eighty seven unprovoked bites. Because back to the hey,
here's an alligator, let's feed it thing.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
I was gonna say what people are provoking, Yes you are.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
I only say for me to say, you're dumb if
if you are feeding an alligator.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
I was only going to throw the quarter pounder at
it if it had its jaws open. You know, I
thought I could get away while it's you know, trying
to catch the uh, the burger.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
I wasn't like bringing it there to feed it.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
All right, So yes, there are many more if you
take into account people that are like, hey, let's feed
the alligator.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Can't help those people.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
But for the unprovoked ones, four hundred and eighty seven
of those, or an average of only about six to
seven per year, And of those only twenty seven have
been fatal. That's it, with almost all those either in
the water or on the water's edge. In fact, based
on historical data, if you are bitten by an alligator
on land, your odds of surviving are over ninety nine percent.
(09:05):
So that speaks to your ability that even if they
got you, you know, even if you're bitten somewhere you
still are able to get away from them.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
In water, none as good.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Your odds are surviving actually still maybe higher than you
would have thought, but a lot lower, around eighty five percent.
And the big thing is if you get bitten in
the water, it's one thing you get away, but like
if they get hold of you know something, armle just
unhappy thoughts all the way around.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Right, that's when you're in trouble.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Because the most common way that you die with an
alligator is by drowning, because they do death rolls, so
they grab you and then they go under, and so
in a lot of ways, alligators similar to sharks. They
both have reputations regarding their risks to people. It's actually
much worse than the actual risk. And to that end,
if you see them and make an effort to avoid them,
(09:53):
you're almost certainly going to be okay.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Now, if you're in the middle of.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
The Everglades and you have endless miles of gaiters and
crocks and snakes, navigat might be a different story.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Running of the attempt to jail breaks at alligator Alcatraz
Popular Podcasts
United States of Kennedy
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com