Florida man attacked by alligator while diving for megalodon teeth in river

[marmar]

SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) – A Florida man is recovering after surviving an alligator attack over the weekend.

Jeffrey Heim was diving in the Myakka River on Sunday looking for megalodon teeth when he was attacked from behind by an alligator.

“I thought it was a boat it hit me so fast or it felt like it was so fast,” the 25-year-old said.

He told our sister station WFLA he wasn’t in the water for very long when the attack happened. He thinks the alligator was about 9 feet long and possibly a female. It’s currently alligator mating season in Florida.

“I look up and the gator is right in front of me and we are looking at each other and we are both confused,” added Heim. ............(more)

https://fox8.com/news/florida-man-attacked-by-alligator-while-diving-for-megalodon-teeth-in-river/

[soothsayer]

1. Yikes!

[onethatcares]

2. confused?

I don't think that's the first word that came to my mind.

Alligator be saying, "what are you doing in my house? Are you confused or sumpin?"

[Tommy Carcetti]

3. Myakka River is gator central.

Gators are not by nature predatory against adult humans, but if you're swimming in Myakka, you're playing the odds that you're going to end up bumping elbows with them.

https://hikeitflorida.com/deep-hole-myakka-river-state-park/

[Ritabert]

4. Gators line the banks of the Myakka

It's the last place you want to dive.

[RegularJam]

5. Wanna see big Gators...

Go to the Myakka River. I doubt there is anywhere that has more 6’+. Beautiful river.

[3Hotdogs]

6. Its mating season.

Maybe she was getting the horns on.

[MoonRiver]

7. I love gators and crocs, but I would NEVER deliberately get in the water with them!

[JHB]

8. Is there a reason to expect to find megalodon teeth in that river?

Have any others been found there? Is there some kind of fossil bed?

Trying to avoid another "Florida Man" dig, but that's information that's missing from the story.

[lagomorph777]

10. I think there have been lots of them found over the years in FL rivers.

[ornotna]

11. That area of Florida

Has big deposits of prehistoric shark teeth. The really big ones can be found in river beds.

https://www.tbnweekly.com/opinion/columnists/article_4ebfbef0-92bf-11e9-8733-3f9936f0b003.html

[csziggy]

15. The biggest megalodon teeth I've ever seen were ones my grandfather collected

He managed a phosphate mine in Agricola, outside of Bartow. As they pump the phosphate slurry into the mine, it goes through a screen to sieve out big chunks of stuff. Grandfather would pay the workers to give him anything that looked interesting. He had teeth that were 6-8" long or better. Unfortunately, my uncle's family got those out of grandmother's estate, along with a bark basket that was ancient.

At least one of the fossils my grandfather collected was donated to the Chicago Museum of Natural History - I think it was a dugong fossil, but I can't find the letter acknowledging the donation right now.

My sister collects fossils and has some pretty good sized megalodon teeth, but they are not her primary interest.

[Pas-de-Calais]

9. Obviously protecting his ancestors burial location

[grumpyduck]

12. You beat me to it.

[Chainfire]

13. It may have been more of a proposition than an attack.

[sarcasmo]

14. I'm diving for Megalodon teeth during matting season, OK Florida Man.

[PoliticAverse]

16. Remember kids, just because the megalodon is extinct doesn't mean all prehistoric predators are. n/t

[SunSeeker]

17. Great Florida Man headline!