iStockphoto / Anton Matiukha / Bob_Eastman
juvenile alligator in front of a backdrop of bagels
Like birds, alligators are descendants of dinosaurs and similar to birds they often display zero fear in the human world no matter the situation they may find themselves in. Case in point, a feisty juvenile alligator in Southport, North Carolina who walked into the Bagel Dock Express through the back door and sauntered right up to the front counter where it scared the life out of the employee manning the door.
The Bagel Dock Express location in Southport, N.C. shared a video on Facebook of the alligator rolling up in the restaurant that has everyone in the area captivated by how such a little reptile could have so much confidence.
North Carolina Alligators Strolls Into Bagel Shop And Walks Up To The Counter
In defense of the employee who nearly jumped out of his boots upon turning the corner and spotting the alligator staring back at him on the ground, nobody ever expects to run into an alligator in a situation like that. Back in high school here in Florida I once found an alligator around this size in the men’s bathroom and nearly jumped out of my skin trying to get out of there.
Your mind expects safety and security indoors and suddenly there’s a dinosaur on the ground?! Their response is perfectly valid here. With that in mind, check out the clip because it’s great but pay the AI-generated cover art no mind because they could have done a LOT better just by using the security camera footage as a thumbnail.
It is remarkable that some older gentleman’s first reaction to hearing the employee’s panic was to walk in and get close to the alligator, while the employee placed a hand on their back to ensure there was a body between the North Carolina alligator and themselves. Have to respect the self preservation there on behalf of the employee and the complete lack of personal safety awareness by the person who walked in the front door.
In the caption of their Facebook Reels, the Bagel Dock Express announced “our surprise visitor was safely escorted out by local law enforcement. No injuries, no drama… just one VERY unusual customer!” So all’s well that ends well.
This particular Bagel Dock Express location sits in a shopping plaza with a sizable pond out back which is presumably where the small alligator strolled in from:
Google Maps
Bagel Dock Express location in Southport, North Carolina
The state of North Carolina has around 2,000 alligators in the wild, which ranks low among states with gators. As a point of comparison, the state of Florida has an estimated 1.3 million alligators and Louisiana has an estimated 2 million gators.
That said, there are lots of big alligators in North Carolina too. This 9ft alligator found itself locked in a backyard in Sunset Beach a few years ago. And in 2024, this 12ft alligator was lunging at passing cars. So keep a watchful eye open out there!