Are There Alligators in Fort Lauderdale?

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Fort Lauderdale sits by the North Atlantic Ocean.

Alligators don’t typically inhabit saltwater bodies of water, but occasional sightings near Fort Lauderdale beaches are documented. 

So… Are There Alligators in Fort Lauderdale?

Alligators only last for a maximum of a few days in oceans because of the salt content in them.

That’s why you rarely see them swimming around near Fort Lauderdale beaches.

They can tolerate a combination of saltwater and freshwater (brackish water) though. 

As of 2022, some people who lived in Fort Lauderdale near the canals haven’t seen one in more than a decade.

However, I saw a 2021 report about “Alligator Alley,” which is the nickname given to the section of I-75 between Fort Lauderdale and Naples. 

According to Terry Ward of Florida Beyond, you can’t go more than about 10 minutes without seeing an alligator.

They do show up on both sides of the highway, and there are some boat ramps where you can park your car and watch them. 

Another hotspot is in the Everglades as far west as the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp nature reserve.

The Corkscrew swamp is almost two hours away from Fort Lauderdale. 

I did find out that alligators also sometimes show up about 25-30 minutes from Fort Lauderdale.

For instance, a family in Davie, FL saw an alligator in the backyard one morning in 2022. 

I have seen reports about alligators in Lauderdale Isles, a neighborhood directly in Fort Lauderdale.

These date back as early as 2013 though.

Places where alligators were spotted then include the Rockfish and Dolphin Canals. 

Alligator Species in Fort Lauderdale

The only alligator species found in Fort Lauderdale is the American Alligator.

They sometimes grow to at least 10 feet and sometimes 12 feet or longer. 

Another animal, the crocodile, has a similar appearance to an alligator.

I haven’t pinpointed the exact spot in the Florida Everglades where both the crocodile and alligator exist.

All I know is that both the gators and crocs live about an hour or two away from Fort Lauderdale. 

They also may travel in one direction or another along the canals and in the river.

During mating season, they may also travel along the highway and on land to make it to their next swampy destination.

That’s not a gator’s “normal” behavior throughout the year unless maybe they’re lost and looking for the closest water source.

A pet alligator may also have been accidentally or intentionally let loose too, but that doesn’t happen often.

Is it Safe to Swim in Fort Lauderdale?

I’ve seen reports from Kylon Powell and WSVN about the locations where alligators spend most of their time.

The Lauderdale Isles neighborhood is mentioned more than once by the media. 

As of May 2022, city officials declared the Intracoastal Waterway and Canal Lagoon to be safe to swim in.

It’s hard to say where an alligator may show up along the 400 miles of canals though.

There are more than a million crocodilians (both alligators and crocodiles) in the South Florida canals. 

As far as swimming, fishing, or boating safety, you will want to keep tabs on local weather reports.

The times of the year when hurricanes may occur start between June and November.

Get ready for hurricane season, and watch out for mudslides caused by flooding, high tides, and flying debris during heavy winds. 

City Water Quality Reports

Before you go swimming, you can check the water quality reports posted on the City of Fort Lauderdale website and Florida Health websites.

Check out the routine bacterial monitoring reports for the beaches you plan to visit. 

Interesting Alligator Facts in Fort Lauderdale

One of the places in the Everglades National Park where you may spot alligators is the Anhinga Trail.

That’s still more than an hour and a half from Fort Lauderdale. However, they sometimes meander outside their original habitat. 

Alligators may find their way into Fort Lauderdale sewers, for instance.

They also might just walk down a Fort Lauderdale residential street or end up in someone’s pool. 

• There used to be a total of 8 alligator species.
• Only two alligator species live as of 2022, the American and Chinese Alligator. 
• Males group together and shout out like a choir during mating season (April and May).
• During mating season, females create nests to protect their eggs. 
• Alligators feed about once a week but can survive up to two years without food. 
• Alligators can digest almost anything, including cartilage, bones, or muscles. 

It’s the alligator’s cold-blooded nature that causes them to go so long without food.

They also can adjust to extreme temperatures when they have the “will” to do so.

Some have survived by hibernating in freezing lakes as long as there’s water still moving in them. 

Alligators usually wander the most during the spring mating season.

Other than that, they don’t like to be near the marshlands where the alligators like to “hang out.”

If they have a choice, they usually prefer wetting settings and not walking in the scorching Florida heat away from water. 

Alligators vs. Crocodiles

Both alligators and crocodiles live in some of the sections of the Florida Everglades.

Some spots they spend time in are about an hour away from Fort Lauderdale. 

Anyway, crocodiles can tolerate salt water more than alligators can.

However, they can both dwell in marshy swampland. They do have some differences though. 

Alligators don’t typically grow as long as a crocodile does.

Gators may reach a maximum length of 15 feet, but crocs may grow to 20 feet or more. 

An alligator has at times weighed a maximum of about 1,000 pounds.

A crocodile has a maximum weight of about 2.205. 

Gators and crocs also have physical differences.

Alligator scales are smaller than crocodile scales, for instance.

Alligators also have a wider, rounded snouts than a crocodile.

A crocodile has a longer, pointier snout. 

Because of an alligator’s jaw size difference, you usually can only see their top teeth.

For a crocodile, you will see more of its top teeth than you would on an alligator.

According to Everything Reptiles, you will see five visible bottom teeth on a crocodile. 

As far as jaws, an alligator has an upper jaw that’s just a little bit bigger than its lower jaw.

The Crocodile has top and bottom jaws that measure about equal in size. 

For skin color, alligators usually appear almost black or a very dark green or dark gray.

Crocodiles usually have olive green and/or tan hues.

Both gators and crocs usually have a light underbelly. 

Safety Tips for Swimming in Alligator-infested Waters 

Even in Florida, where you can find more than a million alligators, attacks on humans are relatively rare.

Still, you should take caution just in case.

You don’t want to be sorry. 

1. Don’t “tease” alligators. 

If you taunt or tease an alligator, that could provoke them.

When you provoke them, you increase your chance of attack.

Don’t think you can play with them like you can a cat or a dog. 

2. Don’t feed alligators, especially fish scraps. 

Florida is one of the states where people visiting and living there long-term have no choice but to coexist with alligators.

However, coexisting with them doesn’t mean feeding them or trying to be “buddy-buddy” with them.

Don’t feed them any food at all, and don’t think you can keep the peace by feeding them fish scraps. 

3. Don’t swim in forbidden places. 

Stick to the beaches where swimming, boating, fishing, and other water activities are allowed.

Some of the canals and rivers are off-limits in Fort Lauderdale and other locations. 

Keep in mind also that a safety report may say that there are no alligators there.

However, that doesn’t give you the automatic right to swim there.

Make sure it’s allowed by local laws, not just state ones. 

3. Don’t panic if you see one.

If you do see an alligator, don’t panic.

Just walk slowly out of the water, and move as quietly as you can.

Fortunately for you, they usually can find other prey and don’t need to eat that often. 

Just act like you don’t notice them and remain calm.

As long as you remain calm, they won’t feel your frightened vibration.

This will lessen your chance of an unprovoked attack. 

Summary

Fort Lauderdale doesn’t usually have alligators directly in the city or near the coastal areas.

You have to watch out when around freshwater though, which they typically live in. 

Fort Lauderdale Safety Overview

READ THE FULL REPORT: Fort Lauderdale Safety Review

Safety Index:

64

• OVERALL RISK: LOW
• TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
• PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW
• NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
• MUGGING RISK: LOW
• TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
• SCAMS RISK: LOW
• WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW