Since I lived in Florida for several years, I’m always fascinated by sharks and manatee, the “sea cows.” I happened across a recent news story that, sadly, can be a common occurrence in the Sunshine State:

>>NAPLES, Fla. (AP) – Florida wildlife officials say a 10-foot alligator bit off a man’s hand while he was swimming in a canal with friends.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman Gabriella Ferraro says 18-year-old Timothy Delano of Naples is recovering at a hospital. Officials managed to catch the gator and retrieve the hand from its stomach, and doctors may be able to reattach the hand.

Ferraro says Delano was swimming with three friends around 9:30 p.m. Sunday when the alligator attacked.

The men swam to shore and drove to a gas station, where they called 911. Delano was flown by helicopter to a hospital.

Wildlife officials say people should stay out of freshwater canals and lakes this time of year because alligators are more active, especially around dawn and dusk.<<

Speaking of sharks, here’s a photo from the Discovery Channel’s headquarters in Silver Spring, which has been quite appropriately outfitted for the cable channel’s annual Shark Week:

What better way is there to conclude an entry about sharks than to play the theme from the movie Jaws?

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