Alligator sightings are relatively common in Florida, but it is not often that you see one on the road in broad daylight with a freshly caught meal.
“Alligator spotted walking down the road at Fort Myers Beach casually eating a snake,” WINK News meteorologist Matt Devitt described Wednesday via X. “Welcome to Florida.”
Accompanying footage, sent to Devitt by a viewer named Kayanna, shows the alligator walking along the side of the road with part of the snake in its mouth while dragging the rest behind it.
Gator was spotted casually eating a snake on the street in Fort Myers Beach. Welcome to #Florida. Credit: @WINKNews Viewer Kayanna H 🐊👀 pic.twitter.com/VZ37yf2MGn
— Matt Devitt (@MattDevittWX) 26 June 2024
The footage appears to have been shot from inside a vehicle as the occupants watched in disbelief.
The scene is reminiscent of other bizarre alligator moments captured on video by WINK News viewers and shared by For The Win Outdoors.
A selection: Florida alligator breaks through metal fence with alarming ease; ‘Legendary’ sighting of giant alligator trying to climb wall in Florida; Giant ‘infamous’ alligator spotted wandering in Florida.
According to the Florida Fish and Game Conservation Commission (FWC), alligators are found in all 67 counties in Florida. The total alligator population is 1.3 million.
However, most sightings occur in or near swamps and wetlands and not on city streets.
The longest alligator recorded in Florida was 14 feet 10 inches (4.36 m) long. The weight record (for a slightly smaller alligator) is 10 pounds (4.81 kg).
Alligators are opportunistic feeders that occasionally hunt snakes.
