Florida deputies wrangle alligator found camped out under resident’s car

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Deputies in Florida wrangled a young alligator after a resident heard an “odd noise” coming from underneath their car last week.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, two deputies, identified only as Doherty and Smith, helped the resident, who found the alligator under the car. Officials said in a Facebook post on Saturday that the resident “took one look and noped right out of there.”

PCSO said the deputies were able to get the gator’s snout taped shut and relocated the reptile to a safe location.

“Alligators are everywhere in Florida and it’s not uncommon to find one in your yard, pool, or driveway as they travel from one lake to another. If this happens to you, don’t try to catch, harass, or shoo the gator away. Even a gator minding its own business can bite if you bother it. Most of the time the gator will leave on its own. But if there’s a safety issue to a human – or the gator – call PCSO,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.

The American alligator is native to Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. They are cold-blooded animals that regulate their body temperatures by sunning themselves or moving to warm locations. Because of this, they tend to be most active in temperatures in the 82- to 92-degree range — essentially, the warmer months.

While females rarely grow longer than 10 feet, males can get to be much bigger, with the state record being 14 feet, 3 1/2 inches, the wildlife commission says.