A 10-YEAR-OLD girl freed herself from the jaws of an alligator by poking the beast in the nose and prying its mouth open.

The shocking attack took place at a popular swimming hole near Orlando in Florida over the weekend.

Authorities said the child was playing in shallow water at Lake Moss Park on Saturday when onlookers suddenly heard her screaming for help.

When the 2.8 metre alligator latched itself on her leg, she thrust her finger into its nostril and startled the animal enough that it loosened its bite.

She then tore its mouth open and escaped. The child reportedly knew how to save herself thanks to a visit to an alligator wildlife park.

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“To get an animal with the strongest bite on the planet to let go of you is a miracle,” Donald Aldarelli, a representative from Gatorland told WFTV9. “I’m just happy that she heard it here.”

She wasn’t seriously injured and received 10 stitches, her father told media.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission trapped and euthanised the animal, and the swimming area was closed.

Last year, a toddler was attacked and killed by an alligator at Disney World’s Grand Floridian resort, while a woman lost an arm after being mauled in 2015.

“It’s one of the things us Floridians just know,” FWC spokesman Chad Weber said. “If there’s a body of water, there’s likely to be a gator in it.”