A black bear frolicked the emerald waters of Destin last month.

An alligator was spotted swimming ashore at a beach along Dauphin Island in May.

And repeated reports of sharks swarming the northern Gulf Coast within a short distance of beach goers is the norm.

It’s becoming the summer of the wildlife at Alabama and Florida beaches, and beyond. And the experts say it’s time for everyone to get used to it.

As the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin once mused, “We don’t own the planet Earth, we belong to it. And we must share it with our wildlife.”

Beaches, too.

“We live in their world,” said Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier. “Whether it’s alligators or sharks or jellyfish, we know they are there. And they end up in places they are not normally seen.”

Purple flags

The lifeguards who monitor the beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are aware of the marine life encircling vacationers, particularly sharks.

But purple flags that warn people of dangerous marine life do not rise when sharks are spotted. Those flags are typically reserved whenever jellyfish, sting rays, or the Portuguese Man ‘o war are spotted or are stinging swimmers.

Purple flags are likely to be more common in the coming months as jellyfish and other stinging marine life find their way near the Gulf shorelines during the months of July and August.

“People get confused with sharks and the (purple flag) is not really there for sharks,” said Brett Lesinger, the beach safety division chief with the Orange Beach Fire Department. “When purple flags are flying, it’s when a lifeguard sees a stinging pest in the water.”

He added, ‘If there were indications that sharks are in the area and are dangerous to people, it would be double red flags.”

A double red flag means the water is closed for public use, and violators could face a fine or arrest.

“Sharks get a bad rep,” said Lt. Melvin Shepard, chief of staff with the Gulf Shores Fire Rescue Department. “This where they live. We need to understand that on any given day, there are sharks swimming within 10 feet of people, and they are not biting people.”

Beach bound bears

But a black bear swimming in the Gulf? A beach is not exactly a forest.

Todd Steury, associated dean for academic affairs at the College of Forestry at Auburn University, said the proximity of a wilderness to the beaches of Destin makes it not all that unlikely a bear might emerge.

“There’s a very large bear population quite near to Destin (in Apalachicola) and it’s not unusual for young, male bears to wander widely for a new home,” said Steury. “At this time of the year, it’s not at all unusual to see bears in places you usually don’t.”

Sean Powers, director of the University of South Alabama’s School of Marine & Environmental Sciences, said in states like Alaska – where bears are common – it was not unusual to spot a hungry grizzly searching for clams along sandy beaches and waterfronts.

“Bears are omnivores, like raccoons and will do what they can to survive,” he said.

Alligator in Dauphin Island

Alligators, while rebounding in populations, are also uncommon animals found on beaches near the saltwater of the Gulf. The alligator swimming in Dauphin Island, caught on camera in May, was an example of a rare moment.

“Alligators are much rarer in the ocean, and it only occurs when we have a freshwater rain events,” said Powers. “They usually swim back (to their natural habitat).

Said Steury, “Alligators prefer freshwater, but it’s my understanding they can tolerate saltwater for a short period of time and will sometimes be found in the ocean as they move from play to place.”

Alligator attacks on humans also remains rare, but they do occur. A 69-year-old woman was attacked and killed by an alligator on Tuesday while she was walking her dog in South Carolina.

Powers said it’s important for people living in areas where alligators live to be mindful of their surroundings, and not get too close to where they may lurk.

“She got too close to a pond,” he said. “You have to be careful of these things. In Florida, there are a lot of animal control officers moving alligators. It’s becoming more and more common.”

Collier said the alligator found swimming in the Gulf in Dauphin Island became the “talk of the town” a few months ago and got the barrier island community “a lot of good, free publicity.”

“But a situation like that is handled by animal control,” he said. “All we do is report it to appropriate authorities and they follow up on it. Unless the animal is aggressive or showing other signs, they don’t relocate them.”

Shepard said the news reports about the alligator and other animals arriving to the beaches come across as “shocking.” The cell phone footage, more common than 10 years ago when smart phones were in their infancy, are turning common wildlife moments into viral sensations, other say.

“Summertime at the beach, and what will grab more attention than 10-foot tiger shark swimming nearby?” he said. “People will be like, ‘I need to watch this video.’”