SARASOTA, Fla. — A video captured by a man at a Sarasota park shows a manatee chasing an alligator.
In the video, Dennis Osha records a manatee keeping an alligator in front of it as both animals swim across the water at Myakka River State Park.
The Everglades Holiday Park posted the video on its Twitter account and the video ends with the manatee continuing to chase the alligator.
Alligator sightings are not rare in Florida, and the state has over a million of them in the state, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Although the reptile seen in the water did not pose a danger to the man recording, the FWC recommends people keep a safe distance if they see an alligator.
Other safety tips the FWC says can help people if they cross paths with an alligator are to never feed an alligator, swim only in designed swimming areas during daylight hours because alligators are most active during dusk and dawn and keep pets on a leash away from the water's edge and never let them swim in fresh or brackish water — even for short periods.
Find more resources about living with alligators at MyFWC.com/Alligator.
