Alligator's Turkey Entourage Goes Viral at Florida Course

A video filmed this week at St. Johns Golf Club near St. Augustine, Florida, shows a large alligator crossing a fairway trailed by a flock of wild turkeys, a scene that quickly spread on social media.

Florida golfers are accustomed to alligators drifting across greens and fairways, and St. Johns even uses a curled-up gator as its club logo. What set this sighting apart was the escort: a parade of turkeys trailing the reptile rather than scattering from it, adding another entry to the state's long list of odd wildlife moments caught on camera at a golf course.

Where was the video filmed?

The footage was captured at St. Johns Golf Club, which opened in 1989 and was redesigned by architect Erik Larsen in 2022. The club sits near St. Augustine, one of several Northeast Florida courses where alligators regularly move between water hazards in search of new territory.

How common are alligators on Florida golf courses?

Alligators live in all 67 of Florida's counties as well as nine other states, according to USA Today. The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences estimates the state's alligator population at roughly 1.3 million, making close encounters an occupational hazard of golf in the Sunshine State.