Julianna Ossa. She Survived a Crocodile Attack

Written by Margot Cleverly

Ten-year-old Juliana Ossa from Orlando became an example of how an educational trip from two years prior can save a life in a moment of direct threat. Her story illustrates the remarkable ability of a child’s mind to store and apply critical knowledge in a situation of extreme stress, when the instinct of panic gives way to learned behavior.

Attack in Shallow Water

Juliana was swimming with her family in a shallower area when the attack occurred – a seemingly safe place turned out to be a space where a nine-foot alligator could effectively hunt. The girl heard the characteristic sound of movement underwater, and moments later felt the reptile’s jaws clamping down on her leg.

At that moment, the alligator attempted to execute a classic maneuver – pulling the victim beneath the water’s surface, where a human loses the advantage of mobility and access to air.

Instead of surrendering to the natural instinct of panic, Juliana activated her memory of information heard two years earlier during a visit to Gatorland park. This ability to recall specific, specialized knowledge in a life-threatening situation represents a fascinating example of how a child’s mind can store seemingly abstract information and utilize it in a critical moment. Most adults in a similar situation would be guided solely by primitive fight-or-flight reactions, losing access to long-term memory resources.

Predator Neutralization Technique

The instruction remembered from the park was precise – blocking an alligator’s nostrils forces it to open its jaws due to the need to breathe. Juliana applied this method, touching the reptile’s nose, which caused an immediate loosening of the grip and the release of her leg.

This simple physiological mechanism – the necessity of breathing outweighing the instinct to hold prey – proved to be the key to survival.

After the girl was freed, her uncle immediately pulled her from the water, while another man present at the scene took action to secure the remaining people from further threat.

This sequence of events shows how effective the combination of the victim’s individual knowledge with the immediate reaction of those around can be – Juliana created a time window for rescue by applying the remembered technique, and the adults used that moment for evacuation.

Return to Normalcy After Trauma

The girl required several stitches, which testifies to the strength of the alligator’s grip and the potential scale of injuries that could have occurred had the attack lasted longer. Despite the physical injury and an objectively traumatic experience, Juliana returned to school relatively quickly, where she was met with a warm reception from her peers.

Her friends prepared get-well cards, and one student described her as brave – this social dimension of support constitutes an essential element of the psychological process of working through trauma.

The most fascinating aspect of this story is Juliana’s own assessment of the source of her fear – the girl admitted that she was more afraid of the medical procedure itself than the confrontation with the alligator.

This perspective suggests that the direct threat, in which she could act according to her possessed knowledge, was less terrifying than passively submitting to a surgical procedure. Her return to school and the way she talked about the event indicate remarkable psychological resilience – a trait that, combined with practical knowledge, saved her life that day in the water.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Margot Cleverly

+ posts

Margot's journey into women's history began with a box of forgotten letters in a Cambridge archive – suffragettes whose voices had been silenced for over a century. Since then, she's been on a mission to uncover the stories history overlooked.

What she writes about: Queens who ruled from the shadows. Scientists whose male colleagues took credit. Revolutionaries who risked everything. But also ordinary women – those who survived wars, raised families through upheaval, and shaped their communities in ways no one bothered to record.

Margot turns historical figures into real people. She writes with warmth and detail, making centuries-old stories feel surprisingly relevant. Rigorous research meets accessible storytelling – no dusty academic jargon, just compelling narratives backed by solid facts.

When she's not writing, you'll find her in regional archives, collecting oral histories, or visiting sites connected to the women she writes about.