Fisherman captures a crazy video of an alligator chasing a bear across a Florida river

A Florida fishing guide has captured unusual footage of a black bear being chased across a river by an alligator, a rare encounter recorded on the Kissimmee River near Lake Okeechobee.

Captain Justin Morgan, who operates a fishing guide service in the region, was out bluegill fishing with clients when the sighting occurred. What initially appeared to be a wild hog crossing the water turned out to be a black bear swimming the river with an alligator trailing closely behind it.

Morgan recorded video of the pursuit and later shared it on social media, captioning the post: "Alligator tracking down a bear across the Kissimmee river near Lake Okeechobee."

In a fuller account, he described the moment: "We were out bluegill fishing when what from a distance looked like a wild hog was a black bear swimming across the Kissimmee with a gator not far behind! Not something we get to see everyday but really cool to watch!"

According to Morgan, the alligator broke off its pursuit once the bear reached the shore. The bear paused to look back at its pursuer before disappearing into the woods, showing no further interest in the reptile. Neither animal appeared to engage the other directly.

The footage offers a glimpse into a type of wildlife encounter that residents and visitors to Florida rarely witness. The state's waterways frequently host both black bears and American alligators, but documented interactions between the two species, particularly extended pursuits, remain uncommon.

Wildlife experts generally note that alligators possess a significant advantage in the water, where their speed and powerful tails make them formidable predators. Bears, by contrast, are far more capable on land, where their size, strength and claws give them the upper hand in most confrontations. Encounters in transitional spaces, such as a river crossing, put each animal temporarily outside its element, creating unpredictable dynamics.

There have been previous documented cases of bears fending off alligator attacks in Florida waterways, suggesting the outcomes of such meetings are not always predictable. In the Kissimmee River incident, neither animal appeared willing to escalate the encounter once the bear reached solid ground.

Morgan, who has built his guide business around the diverse wildlife of central Florida's lake and river system, said the experience was unlike anything his clients had encountered on previous trips.