--- title: "You Haven’t Lived Until You’ve Seen This Alligator Clumsily Try to Climb Over a Fence" description: "See You Later A particularly head-strong alligator had a hell of a time climbing a fence, as seen in a video making its rounds on Reddit. \"As scary as they can be, alligators just don’t look as threatening when climbing a fence,\" the video's title posted to the AnimalsBeingDerps subreddit reads. The footage is just […]" date: "2024-04-29" modified: "2024-04-29" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/alligator-video-climb-fence" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "alligator" - "florida" - "the digest" - "wildlife" --- # You Haven’t Lived Until You’ve Seen This Alligator Clumsily Try to Climb Over a Fence ![A particularly head-strong alligator had a hell of a time climbing a fence, as seen in a video making its rounds on Reddit.]() *\Image: Reddit\* ## See You Later A particularly headstrong alligator had a hell of a time climbing a fence, as seen in a [video]() making its rounds on Reddit. "As scary as they can be, alligators just don’t look as threatening when climbing a fence," reads the [video's title]() posted to the AnimalsBeingDerps subreddit. The footage is just as delightful as you might expect, with the poor alligator's hind legs struggling to find purchase and helplessly rowing in midair. The creature's tumble after it successfully shifted the weight over the roughly three-foot fence isn't exactly dignified, either, garnering a pitiful "yay" and stifled laughter from the person filming. "Imagine surviving millions of years to be thwarted by a metal fence," one redditor [mused](). "Windmill legs, face plant and everything!" another user [wrote](). https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1784485171531845684 ## In a While While the effect is goofy, alligators are surprisingly good climbers. There have been [several]() [videos]() circulating online of them climbing fences in Florida with ease. In August, a massive specimen climbed a tall concrete wall in Punta Gorda, Florida. "Alligators climb over vegetation in the wild to get to their destinations," Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson Lauren Claerbout [told *Newsweek*]() at the time. "Any time an alligator is seen trying to climb up or over a man-made structure, it's attempting to navigate its surroundings." Alligators are extremely common in Florida. According to recent estimates, there are [around 1.3 million]() in the state. And that means sightings are almost an everyday occurrence. Thanks to our encroaching on their natural habitat, they often need to climb obstacles to get from point A to point B. In 2020, NASA officials even had to [chase a six-foot alligator away]() from a rocket launchpad at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Fortunately, attacks are extremely rare. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, there were an [average of just eight unprovoked alligator bites]() in the state per year over the past ten years. "If an alligator would like to be somewhere, they are usually crafty enough to make it happen," one Reddit user [offered](). "Luckily they haven’t figured out door handles yet." **More on alligators:** *[NASA Had to Chase an Alligator Off the SpaceX Launchpad]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()