Alligator Attacks Becoming More Fatal Than Shark Attacks In U.S.

While there are far more sharks in the waters off the coast of the U.S. than alligators in the Southeastern U.S., fatalities from alligator attacks outpace fatalities resulting from shark attacks.

Of the 52 shark attacks in the coastal waters of the U.S. reported in 2021, no fatalities occurred compared to one death from an alligator attack in La. on Aug. 30, in the floodwaters of Hurricane Ida near the city of Slidell near Lake Pontchartrain.

Timothy Satterlee, 71, was attacked by an alligator that bit off his arm. His wife witnessed the attack, and on Sept. 13, authorities killed a 12’ alligator, one with human remains in its stomach.

In 2022, five shark attacks have been reported at beaches on Long Island since June 30, none fatal.

In Largo, Fla. on May 31, Sean McGuinness, 47, became the first victim of an alligator attack reported in 2022 after he attempted to gather golf Frisbee discs from a pond in John S. Taylor Park. He was found by the edge of the pond missing an arm from the alligator’s attack.

On June 24 in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Michael Burstein, 75, was dragged by an alligator into a pond. The autopsy showed that he drowned.

In Englewood, Fla. on July 17, an elderly woman fell into a pond at the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club where witnesses saw two alligators fatally attack the woman.

During that past two years, four people have died in the U.S. from alligator attacks while no fatalities from shark attacks have been recorded.