Video: Alligator Nearly Bites Off Scientist's Arm

Alyssa Newcomb
Video: Alligator Nearly Bites Off Scientist's Arm (ABC News)

A scientist’s arm almost became a snack for an angry alligator caught roaming along a North Carolina highway.


The unidentified  scientist from Pine Knoll Aquarium was captured on an iPhone video approaching the 250-pound beast during an after-hours call on Tuesday.

The gator was resting in a ditch when the scientist threw a towel on its head. The scientist then stepped inside of the ditch, placing one leg on each side of the reptile’s body. As he bent down to move the alligator, it bit his arm as he cooly backed away from a situation that could have been far worse.

A team from the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission arrived two hours later to help relocate the alligator.

“We had to coax him, get him to move somewhere flat where we could have the advantage. We were able to tie him up, secure his jaw closed. From there, it all went well,” biologist Robbie Norville told ABC News affiliate WCTI.

The alligator was relocated to a swamp in Carteret County.

A spokesperson for the Pine Knoll Aquarium said the injured scientist was treated at a hospital and was recovering at home from the ordeal.