A Florida man had a close call with a gator after he strayed from a path to take a better picture of the amphibian.

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The man left other hikers on the boardwalk of La Chua Trail at Paynes Prairie in Gainesville and encroached on a mother alligator's space as she was sunbathing, according to Ben Boukari Jr., who posted the video on Facebook.

“Guy is way too close,” Boukari wrote on Facebook.

As the man reached into his backpack, the gator lunged at him and chomped on his tripod. The reptile continued to inch closer to the man as he stumbled into the bushes.

Think the man learned his lesson? Just watch the video. He clearly didn’t.

The man went back to grab his stuff and within seconds the gator was on the shore ready to attack.

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Atlanta police Chief Darin Schierbaum answers questions during a news conference on July 28, 2025, about a shooting that left one dead and 10 injured shortly after midnight the same day. (Ben Hendren for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Ben Hendren for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution