9-Foot Alligator Bit FL Woman In Face While She Snorkeled: Reports

MARION COUNTY, FL — A Florida woman was bitten in the face by a 9-foot-long alligator last month while she snorkeled at Ocala National Forest, according to multiple recent reports.

Marissa Carr and a friend were snorkeling and swimming at Alexander Springs Recreation Area near Ocala when the attack happened, Carr told WOFL. She said the alligator "came out of nowhere" and bit her on the forehead.

"Sounds bad, but it biting my head is probably the best place that it could have been because like, if it would have got my arm and that it would have got a better grip on my arm and I could have lost my arm or just like my life in general," Carr told the station. "So I think I'm genuinely just really, really lucky."

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed the attack in a statement to the Miami Herald. Officials said Carr was hospitalized with non-life-threatening wounds.

"An FWC officer and contracted nuisance alligator trapper responded, and a 9-(foot) male alligator was removed,” the commission told the Herald.

According to the state, alligators live in all 67 Florida counties and are most active from dusk to dawn. That means people should “swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours and without your pet,” the commission states.

Anyone with concerns about an alligator should call the Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286.

Meanwhile, Carr told WOFL she doesn't blame the alligator and doesn't plan to stop snorkeling.