Brave boy, 9, wrestled 400lb alligator off him - and he now plans to make a necklace from a tooth doctors found embedded in a wound on his BACK

Nine-year-old James Barney Jr fought off a nine-foot, 400lb alligator with his bare hands

He jumped into a lake and immediately felt something touch him

He said he felt it biting him, so he punched it and managed to hold open its jaws long enough to slide free

He was airlifted to hospital and suffered only superficial wounds

Doctors found a tooth in one of the wounds which the boy wants to wear on a necklace

He says he will never swim in the lake again

A brave 9-year-old is recovering in hospital after he wrestled a 9-foot, 400lb alligator off him with his bare hands - and he now plans to make a necklace from a tooth doctors found embedded in a wound on his back.



James Barney Jr, spoke calmly and eloquently about his ordeal from hospital, where he was tucked up in bed with a teddy bear by his side. He was covered in some 30 teeth marks, doctors said.

The little boy described how it was a hot day so he had parked his bike and jumped into Lake Tohopekaliga - a lake that people are forbidden to swim in - when he felt something brush against his leg.

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Recuperating: Nine-year-old James Barney, Jr is recovering after fighting off a 400lb alligator with his bare hands Wound: Doctors pulled an alligator tooth out of James Barney Jr's back, pictured Survivor: The child pulled the powerful jaws open long enough to slide out and swim to shore 'It really amazed me what happened. At first, I thought someone was just playing with me, and I didn't know what happened,' he told ABC.

'I reached down to grab it, and I felt its jaw, I felt its teeth, and I didn't know what to do, so I immediately reacted and hit it a couple times. And I had enough strength to pry its jaw open.'



The child pulled the powerful jaws open long enough to slide out and swim to shore.



Witnesses say the boy surfaced, screaming that he'd been bitten by an alligator.



They immediately called 911.



'There was a big alligator, about five feet away from him,' one caller said.



Inviting: The boy's father said James often jumps into the lake (where it's forbidden to swim) to cool off - but won't ever do it again

Lesson learned: The little boy advised people to stay out of the lake - but says he wants to wear the alligator's tooth to show his friends

'He was crawling up the shore, screaming and crying and gator bites all over his back.'



He was airlifted to hospital where doctors found he had suffered three superficial bites and about 30 teethmarks as well as scratches from the gator's claws.



Doctors found a tooth in one of the little boy's wounds.



'I want to put it on a necklace so that I can tell all my friends,' he told ABC.



Fish and wildlife officials have taken the tooth to help them find find the alligator, but James Barney, Jr is hopeful he'll get it back.



The boy's father James Barney, Sr, said his son often swims in the lake, but when asked if he'll be doing so ever again, he told the Orlando Sentinel, 'Negative.'

Brave: James described how he managed to hold the animal's jaw open long enough to slide free and swim for shore