Credit: Screengrab via HCSO

Credit: Screengrab via HCSO

It's now officially that time of year, when large horny alligators will appear in incredibly odd places all in the name of getting it in. 

Last week, authorities removed a 10-foot, 2-inch alligator from beneath a car at a Tampa apartment complex. Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) responded to a call on March 31 at 8:45 a.m. to remove the massive reptile. 

Body cam footage posted to Facebook by the Sheriff’s office, shows deputies and trappers carrying the gator to a truck bed to be hauled off.  “The caller advised there was a pond nearby, but this was no small gator… it was 10’2”!!! FWC dispatched a contracted nuisance alligator trapper to transfer the alligator to an alligator farm,” says the post. 

According to HCSO, the gator was not harmed and no one was injured. 

The big lesson here is that while gator mating season doesn’t start until May and runs through June, experts say right now is what’s called the “courtship period,” which means quite a few large apex predators will be more visible as they’re out and about looking for dates. 

So, you might want to check under your car, at least. 

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Colin Wolf has been working with weekly newspapers since 2007 and has been the Digital Editor for Creative Loafing Tampa since 2019. He is also the Director of Digital Content Strategy for CL's parent...