Gator strolls through Florida beach town 'casually eating a snake'

The bizarre alligator encounter, caught on video, occurred in broad daylight at Fort Myers Beach. "Welcome to Florida."

Alligator sightings are fairly common in Florida, but it’s not often that a gator is spotted on a street in broad daylight toting a freshly caught meal.

“Gator spotted walking down the street casually eating a snake on Fort Myers Beach,” WINK News meteorologist Matt Devitt described Wednesday via X. “Welcome to Florida.”

The accompanying footage, sent to Devitt by a viewer named Kayanna, shows the alligator strolling along the roadside with part of the snake in its jaws while dragging the rest.

Gator spotted walking down the street casually eating a snake on Fort Myers Beach. Welcome to #Florida. Credit: @WINKNews viewer Kayanna H pic.twitter.com/VZ37yf2MGn

— Matt Devitt (@MattDevittWX) June 26, 2024

The footage appears to have been captured from inside a vehicle as its occupants watched in disbelief.

The scene brings to mind other bizarre moments involving alligators, captured on video by WINK News viewers and shared by For The Win Outdoors.

A sampling: Florida gator tears through metal fence with alarming ease; ‘Legendary’ sighting as huge gator attempts to climb wall in Florida, and Giant ‘infamous’ gator spotted on the move in Florida.

According to the Florida Fish and Game Conservation Commission (FWC), alligators reside in all 67 Florida counties. Overall gator population: 1.3 million.

But most sightings occur in or near marshes and wetlands; not on city streets.

The longest alligator recorded in Florida measured 14 feet, 3.5 inches. The weight record (for a slightly shorter gator) stands at 1,043 pounds.

Alligators are opportunistic feeders that occasionally prey on snakes.