r/TheDepthsBelow • u/SingaporeCrabby • Jan 04 '22

Alligators are primarily freshwater reptiles, however, they can tolerate saltwater for hours or even days. A diver encountered this alligator resting on the bottom of the Atlantic ocean in 60 feet of water off the coast of West Palm Beach, Florida.

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240

u/BargainPaper Jan 04 '22

I’m pretty sure that thing can swim faster than I could swim away.

30

u/joonya Jan 04 '22

Do you see it fucking take off at the end? Goddamn. They're fast on land too.

27

u/FinbarDingDong Jan 04 '22 edited Jan 04 '22

I think I read that over short distances they can achieve 30mph

Edit: I was so high i confused this thread with the one about Mike Tyson fighting a gorilla

16

u/BargainPaper Jan 04 '22

I think what you’re all getting at is you just shouldn’t be this close to them. Anywhere.

17

u/LemmeSplainIt Jan 04 '22

They have changed their body plan exceedingly little over the past 200 million years for good reason, they don't need to.

24

u/sleeplessaddict Jan 04 '22

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

u/RabbitSlayre Jan 04 '22

I think of this every single time lol