A 5- to 6-foot gator was spotted chilling out in the surf Monday afternoon at Oak Island, North Carolina.
WSOC reported that Kathy Sykes, who lives in nearby Southport, North Carolina, saw the gator at about 12:30 p.m. along the waves. She pulled out her phone and recorded video of the reptile.
There are a couple of small marsh ponds on the other side of the dunes. Sykes said that, occasionally, gators will cross over to rid themselves of parasites, to get away from the biting flies, midges and mosquitoes.
Sykes told WSOC that the gator she watched might have been run out of its territory by a larger one, or possibly by a female protecting her eggs. According to her, it’s mating season for gators.
According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Oak Island is part of the region in the state that alligators tend to inhabit naturally.
Watch the video below or at WSOCTV.com.
Support real journalism. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. See offers.
Your subscription to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution funds in-depth reporting and investigations that keep you informed. Thank you for supporting real journalism.
Download the new AJC app. More local news, more breaking news and in-depth journalism. AJC.com. Atlanta. News. Now.
Download the new AJC app. More local news, more breaking news and in-depth journalism. AJC.com. Atlanta. News. Now.