Alligator chasing deer through water in Florida ends with ‘empty stomach’

An alligator chased after a deer in a “real-life nature thriller” unfolding on Florida water, officials said.

The gator, which has the potential to swim up to 20 mph, was expected to win the wild pursuit.

But to the surprise of folks at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, the white-tailed deer managed to escape.

Officials said it led to “a good ending for the deer and an empty stomach for the alligator.”

“Talk about a close call,” the refuge wrote April 26 in a Facebook post.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the “thrilling” moments played out near a boat ramp at the refuge, located roughly 55 miles north of Miami in Palm Beach County. The refuge’s 145,000 acres are home to birds, bobcats and other creatures.

But one recent day, a deer stole the show when a volunteer saw it involved in a water chase. A photo from volunteer Don Shenosky shows the animal with its head above the surface, though the gator can’t be clearly seen.

It turns out, swimming deer aren’t an unusual sight.

“Several groups of deer living on the refuge live in the interior on large tree islands,” officials wrote. “They sometimes take advantage of the dry season to wade through muck. During the wet season, they can swim for miles.”

The deer caught on camera likely had been swimming for its life, as gators have been known to prey on them and smaller mammals.

Alligators are found in several Southern states, including those that border the Gulf Coast or Atlantic Ocean. The creatures, which have grown as long as 14 feet in the Sunshine State, prefer fresh water but sometimes are found in brackish water, according to the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Though humans often can live peacefully alongside Florida gators, the reptiles can be aggressive at times. To help reduce the chance of potentially dangerous encounters, experts urge people to avoid feeding gators and to keep their pets and children from places the animals are known to live.