The eyes of the crocodilian are its most vulnerable part, and several croc-attack survivors have reported eye-gouging as their salvation. Attempt to gouge, kick, or poke the animal in the eye with your hands or whatever you can grab. Don't give up until you are free, you are literally fighting for your life.
If you encounter a crocodile on land, run away as fast as possible. Crocodiles can run very fast when they are about to attack. So, skip those "running in zigzag motion" advice and run in a straight line as fast as you can. The goal is to get away from the croc as far as possible.
Forget the conventional wisdom about running in a zig-zag pattern to escape; the quickest way to escape an alligator or crocodile is in a straight line. TIL To escape the grip of a crocodile's jaws, push your thumbs into its eyeballs. It will let you go instantly. If a crocodilian snaps or charges at you on land, RUN.
Never provoke, harass or interfere with crocodiles, even small ones. Never feed crocodiles — it is illegal and dangerous. Be extra vigilant around water at night and during the breeding season from September to April. Avoid approaching the edge of the water and don't paddle or wade at the edge of the water.
Wash the bite area with soap and water. If the bite is bleeding, put pressure on it using sterile gauze or a clean cloth. If the bleeding has stopped, put antibiotic ointment on the area. Cover the area with a bandage or sterile gauze.
“We recommend trying to poke them in the eye, hitting them in the top part of the skull or the side of the jaw. Those points are sensitive on alligators just like they are on us,” she said. In a water attack, the danger is more from drowning than the bite, Andrews said. So get to land if possible.
Despite finding lots of different bacteria, we discovered antibiotics given orally (amoxycillin-clavulanate) in mild infections or intravenously (piperacillin-tazobactam) for severe infections would be suitable to kill almost all of the bacteria found after a crocodile attack.
An unarmed person and a crocodile differ greatly in terms of their morphology, size, and sheer force. Size, defenses, and offensive capabilities will matter most in a fight between an unarmed human and a crocodile. On land, humans can outrun crocodiles, but in the water, crocodiles are considerably swifter.
Did you know that the jaws of most crocodiles and alligators can be held closed with a rubber band? Their jaws close with tremendous force and sink into prey with tons of pressure (alligator = 2,980 psi [pounds per square inch] — Crocodile = 5,000 psi), but the muscles that open the jaws are weak.
The eyes of the crocodilian are its most vulnerable part, and several croc-attack survivors have reported eye-gouging as their salvation. Attempt to gouge, kick, or poke the animal in the eye with your hands or whatever you can grab.
But most large crocs can run between 15 to 22 mph (24-35 km/h). Can a human outrun a crocodile? In most cases, yes. In fact, there are limited instances where a crocodile would ever chase a human.
Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)
The species easily claims the title of the most-dangerous crocodilian, since it is widely thought to be responsible for more than 300 attacks on people per year.
But despite their size and strength, there are animals that do prey on them. Man appears to be their biggest predator. Big cats like leopards and panthers sometimes kill and eat these big reptiles. Large snakes can also do a lot of damage to alligators and crocodiles.
Crocodiles usually hunt by staying submerged and can attack in knee-deep water, so even wading can be dangerous.
Research shows that they do. However, their emotions are not the same as humans. We may anthropomorphize crocodiles and snakes in certain ways, but they are not conniving evil beasts. They feel fear and anxiety and contentedness, even if it is in their own way.
In conclusion, I think that the only animal a crocodile genuinely fears is the hippo. Smaller crocodiles may fear larger ones due to risk of cannibalism but that's pretty explainable. Animals that a crocodile may avoid due to unnecessary risk include elephants, lions, and rhinos.
Hippos have a very powerful bite at 1,800PSI. Their teeth are long and sharp, measuring up to 1.5ft. Crocodiles have the most powerful bite measured of any terrestrial creature, smashing down on enemies at 3,700PSI with 4-inch teeth. Crocodiles win in terms of bite power, but their teeth just don't measure up.
It is very difficult if not impossible to outswim an alligator attack, as you can see in the video below, so again, your best bet is to avoid getting too close in the first place.
Pocho (around 1950–1960 – 12 October 2011) was a Costa Rican crocodile who gained international attention for his relationship of over 20 years with Gilberto "Chito" Shedden, a local fisherman who found Pocho dying on the banks of the Reventazón River and nursed him back to health.
It's very rare for an alligator to chase a human on dry land. And the average human could easily outrun an alligator, zigzagging or not — it tops out at a speed of around 9.5 miles per hour (15 kph), and it can't maintain that speed for very long [source: University of Florida].
Scour the Shore
Since alligators spend most of their time sunbathing on the shores, there are often telltale signs of their presence. Some of these markings might include large indentations or gouges in the ground and sliding marks where they reentered the water.
The worst bite in the animal kingdom is the saltwater crocodile, closely followed by the Nile crocodile, being 10 times stronger than a lion's. The pain from a crocodile bite is unbearable; if you're lucky, you'll pass away from shock and a heart attack.
Based on research, there are around 1,000 crocodile attacks a year that result in death. Numbers are probably much higher based on the number of crocodiles that occur in Africa and Southeast Asia.