If you're being chased by a crocodile, is it better to run in a zigzag?
As seen in "MythBusters: Hindenburg Mystery."
Tomek Sikora/Getty Images
Finding: BUSTED
Explanation: One of the oldest wildlife survival tips out there maintains that the best way to outrun a crocodile is to follow a zigzagging pattern, since the reptile can't make the quick turns.
But when MythBusters Kari Byron, Tory Belleci and Grant Imahara traveled to Florida to get chased by hungry crocs, they didn't even have a chance to show off their running skills. Tory pestered a poolside crocodile until it finally lunged at him, yet it didn't care to give chase.
That's because the premise of the busted myth is totally bogus; crocodiles rarely attack from land. The predators prefer to ambush their targets from the water with a lightning-fast lunge.
As Tory's croc encounter demonstrated, if you can escape the initial snap, you should be safe. And even if a crocodile takes off after you, they max out around 10 miles per hour, making it feasible to outrun them in a zigzag or straight line.
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