Alligator Attacks Unsuspecting Fisherman To Steal Fish, Video Shows

A fisherman narrowly escaped an alligator attack while he was fishing in the Everglades in Florida. The incident took place in May but the video was shared online this week.

The video shows the unsuspecting fisherman picking up his catch of the day when a massive alligator launches an attack. The man leaned to pick the fish from the ground when the stealthy gator leaped out of the water with his jaws wide open. The fisherman, who was startled, was lucky to be able to jump out of the way and the then gator retreated.

"When I reached down to land the fish I was completely caught off guard by a gator who had been sitting on the bottom of the water bank," the fisherman told ViralHog.

The video was later shared on Instagram by the @BBQBassBros account with the caption: "Gotta be careful when landing biggins off the bank while fishing in the Everglades. This gator never surfaced until the very last second."

Alligator sightings are common in Florida and there have been several instances when these reptiles were seen lurking in neighborhoods. About one-quarter of the estimated 5 million American gators living in the southeastern United States are found in Florida.

Recently, a 12-foot-long alligator weighing 463 pounds was spotted lying on its back in the middle of a highway exit in Florida. In August, a massive 12-foot long alligator, weighing over 1,000 pounds, was captured on Florida's Lake Okeechobee.

In May, Clearwater Police Department reported that an alligator broke inside a home in Florida.

"An unwanted overnight visitor had to be removed from a home on Eagles Landing Circle West in Clearwater. The 11-foot-long gator broke into the home through some low windows in the kitchen. The homeowner called police and a trapper also responded to the scene. The gator was captured and there were no injuries," the department wrote on Facebook.