10-Foot Alligator Soaked Up Some Sun On A Florida Beach

Crocodiles are launching themselves at people in Australia and alligators are showing up on beaches in Florida. In other words, large reptiles have lost their minds. It's the latest sign that the animal kingdom might be starting to turn on us.

Last week two alligators were spotted at Florida beaches about 135 miles apart. The first alligator was spotted on October 12 at Delray Beach. A Florida Fish and Wildlife trapper pulled that alligator from the water then transferred it to a farm.

Florida Fish and Wildlife trapper pulls an alligator from the water. Image Credit: City of Delray Beach

A couple of days later, on October 14, another alligator was spotted at Melbourne Beach in Florida. According to a witness, Kyle Hussey, the 10-foot long alligator came swimming up to the shore then laid in the surf and soaked up the sun.

"Definitely something you don't see every day," he said.

Hussey shared a picture of the alligator enjoying the beach on the Brevard County Surf Fishing Report Facebook page. He captioned it "Watch your toes" and it went viral.

If you saw this Florida alligator chilling at the beach, would you ever return? Image Credit: Kyle Hussey

Gators Gone Wild

Hussey says the alligator spent some time on the beach before a Florida Fish and Wildlife officer arrived on the scene. The sly gator was able to escape the initial attempt to capture it.

Hussey didn't hang around to see if the officer was ever able to capture the gator. And he doesn't know what happened after he left.

Alligators typically are freshwater animals and encounters usually occur in swamps, rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. They can survive for short periods of time in saltwater and they apparently like hanging out at the beach.

Add alligators at the beach to the long list of things the good people in Florida have to deal with. It's bad enough that half the people have lost their minds, now the reptiles have too.