Unprecedented: Alligator Washed Ashore On Texas Beach

First Posted: Jun 23, 2016 08:47 AM EDT
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Alligators are normally seen in ponds and swamps but how often do you see one in a Texas beach? A 13-foor gator washed ashore in Galveston Beach over the weekend, and photos have gone viral. While a gator at a beach is unusual enough, this one appeared dead - and nobody knew exactly why.

In a report from Inquisitr, a family was celebrating Father's Day when they spotted a large crowd of people gathered around the huge animal. It was said to have measured 13 feet long, its presence shocking beachgoers. However, the massive animal was said to be dead.

Timeiki Hedspeth, who saw the alligator together with her family shared, "If that thing would have woke up, we was like, maybe he (was) playing 'possum?" She also said that this was extremely lucky, considering that there were a lot of people in the water that day.

Texas wildlife workers told KGNS TV that the gator, was likely displaced from the recent flooding in the area, and probably waded into the water to rinse himself. It is unclear how the animal died, but they usually live in fresh water like ponds, rivers, streams and swamps, so it is not common to see them near a salty sea. However, they can swim in saltwater if they need to get from one place to another.

Another gator was also spotted on a beach in Georgia last Friday afternoon, although it was slightly smaller at around 8- to 10-feet long. while this is also unusual, there are roughly around 200,000 alligators in Georgia, and these animals were usually seen south of the "fall line" which connects the cities of Columbus, Macon, and Augusta.

Alligators aren't usually seen in the news, but the gator attack at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida last week piqued more interests. Still, it has been unprecedented for a dead alligator to wash ashore on a beach like it did in Texas.

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