(U.S. National Park Service)
Beachgoers in Bonita Springs, Fla., were treated to a strange sight last week: an alligator going for a swim.
“Rare alligator sighting today at the Island!” Capt. Jessica DeGraw of Island Time Dolphin and Shelling Cruises, Inc. posted on the cruise company’s Instagram page.
The video shows the gator swimming in the water before coming ashore on Big Hickory Island.
“First time I’ve ever seen it on Big Hickory Preserve,” DeGraw told Fox 13.
According to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, it’s rare to see alligators in the ocean since they are freshwater animals.
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“There are many things you may encounter when swimming in the ocean. Alligators probably aren’t one of them,” the agency said on its website.
“While alligators can tolerate salt water for a few hours or even days, they are primarily freshwater animals, living in swampy areas, rivers, streams, lakes and ponds,” the government agency said.
The Sunshine State is known for its reptilian incidents. A 47-year-old Florida woman was dragged by an alligator into a pond and killed. Another gator was caught on video head-butting a trapper.