It’s that time of year when gators are moving around, and one scaly resident nearly became a major road hazard.

On Sunday, a nine-foot alligator was removed from the Selmon Expressway in Tampa, according to a social media post from the Florida Highway Patrol.

“Life is like a box of chocolates – You never know what you’re gonna find!,” wrote the agency.

The FHP says a trooper (along with the help of a trapper) removed the gator from the eastbound lanes near the express lanes headed towards Brandon. The gator was relocated to an undisclosed area, says the FHP.

Hitting an alligator with your car can be deadly. In 2022, a Hillsborough man died after his vehicle struck an 11-foot alligator laying in the road in Lithia.

So, it’s not a bad idea to be on the lookout for toothy speed bumps, because there are roughly 1.3 million alligators in the state of Florida, says the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and they can be found in all 67 counties.

Florida is rapidly approaching alligator mating season, which typically runs from May to June, depending on temperatures, says the FWC. These means gators are looking for love and end up in places they’re not supposed to be.

Anyone concerned about an alligator, or if you find one in a place it shouldn’t be, you can call the FWC’s Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).

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