If you are new to the area and not familiar with them, alligators can be quite startling. Many of these dinosaur-looking reptiles call the Myrtle Beach area home, so it is important that newcomers and visitors learn about them and understand how to stay safe around them.
Whether these creatures scare you or just bewilder you, here is Gators 101.
Do they hunt people or animals?
Forest Wildlife calls alligators “opportunistic feeders,” meaning that they eat what is available to them, whether that be fruit, fish, insects, worms, birds, mammals, amphibians or even other alligators.
“They’re ambush predators, and they hunt from the water. So that means as long as you’re not close to the edge of the water, as long as you’re walking a good distance from the edge of the water even in areas where alligators may be living, you’re safe,” said Morgan Hart, the alligator project leader for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. “You want to stay alert, of course, but you’re safe as long as you’re staying back from that water’s edge.”
In short, it is possible for just about anything to become a gator’s prey if it is near or in the water, so make sure that you, your child and your pet do not find themselves getting too close to water where alligators can be found.
In 2018, 45-year-old Cassandra Cline died while trying to save her dog from an alligator that lunged out of the water at Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island, The Island Packet reported.
Not long after Cline’s death, 20-year Hilton Head Island resident Hugh Hobus nearly lost his black Labrador to an alligator in a pond in the Long Cove Club neighborhood, The Island Packet reported.
There are numerous other instances of alligators endangering people and pets in the Carolinas, so if you’re new here or just coming for a visit, keep reading to find out where exactly these large reptiles live.
Are gators my neighbors?
“So, alligators live anywhere in South Carolina below the fall line. So essentially, from Columbia down to the coast. If it’s freshwater, there could be an alligator in it,” Hart said. “And that’s true of private HOA ponds or public rivers and lakes and even swampy areas where the water is fairly shallow.”
Horry County is located below the fall line, so we are indeed in alligator town. The water, however, is not the only place you may see a gator, according to Hart.
“Alligators walk overland to get from waterway to waterway so it’s possible to see an alligator in a yard, crossing a street or something like that. Those are very fairly common occurrences,” Hart said. “In those situations, those alligators are not hunting, they’re simply moving from one place to another, and they actually feel really exposed so as long as you’re not approaching them, they generally move off on their own.”
Seeing an alligator in the ocean is unusual, as the creatures are primarily fresh water dwellers, but they can ‘tolerate’ saltwater, according to the National Ocean Service.
What do I do if I encounter one?
Since it is fairly common to see gators around the area, according to Hart, it is important to know what to do when you see one.
“If there’s an alligator in your backyard, first check with your HOA if you’ve got one. ... Property management groups are aware of the alligators in the neighborhood and already have permits and tags to deal with those alligators. ... The other thing is just stay well back from the alligator try not to gather around it,” Hart said.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has a phone number you can call if all else fails. The 24/7 emergency number is 1-800-922-5431.
It is also important to not feed alligators, as they might become unlikely to leave or very likely to return, according to Hart.
Do gators benefit the environment?
While alligators are animals that should not be messed with as they can become very dangerous very quickly, they are still a keystone species, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
The National Wildlife Federation’s website also says, “Alligators use their tails to dig burrows in mud for nesting and to keep warm. When an alligator abandons a burrow, the hole left behind fills with freshwater and is utilized by other species for breeding and drinking. If alligators are removed from their native ecosystem, it would affect countless other species.”
What is the difference between an alligator and a crocodile?
Alligators and crocodiles are often confused with one another because they are very similar in looks.
“The only species we have in South Carolina is the American Alligator,” Hart said. “You can tell [alligators and crocodiles] apart because the alligator has sort of a U-shaped, really broad nose and they have an overbite so you can only see their top teeth. Whereas a crocodile, any of the crocodile species, have a kind of narrow V-shaped nose. Like if you look at it from the top, it’s really pointy. And then the teeth sort of interlock, so they don’t have that overbite. You can see bottom and top teeth when their mouth is closed.”
National Geographic says that in America, crocodiles can only be found in Florida and in some neighboring states, so no need to worry about crocodiles around here!
“I think that the most important thing to to get out to people in Myrtle Beach or North Myrtle Beach is that alligators live here and as long as you’re leaving them alone, staying back from the water’s edge, you’re safe,” Hart said. “It’s a good thing that they’re here. They’re a native predator and they’re necessary for our ecology.”
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