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Stainlessbanner: My daughter drove down to Miami yesterday and on the drive saw four dead alligators that looked like they had been run over. She's made the drive many times - having lived in Miami for a number of years - and has never seen even one dead alligator. Either something scared the alligator out of the swamp (which I doubt) or something in the alligator's hard wiring changed - something like a whale beaching itself.

Then, a few months ago, another odd alligator story -- my family owns some houses on a large Florida lake - and for the first time in over twenty years - a large alligator climbed up the embankment and was wandering around the yard. It's not a small climb - and not a small yard. Gators have come up around the boat docks before, but never up the road to the house.

This is starting to have the feel of the problems with frogs a few years back. Could there be a new reptile virus? What do you think?

What I've heard is the "perfect storm" theory of the attacks this year: lower water levels, mating season, highest residential population, growth/construction. All these combined to make the gators behave abnormally and facilitate interaction between ppl and gators.

Of course you know Lake George has many big gators, Okeechobee has a bunch too. There's many an old gator story in those parts - some are 'ol yarns, but I believe some of em!

Practically the entire state is under either abnormally dry or drought conditions, that might encourage them the venture out more. And we're at the beginning of their mating season too - which always gives them 'wander lust.'

The lake a few miles from my house is going to have nearly 400 permits issued for the next hunt season.