Gator in the Gulf: Alligator spotted off Fort Myers Beach

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gulf gator
An alligator was seen swimming in the Gulf of Mexico recently. (CREDIT: WINK News)

A gator in the Gulf caused a commotion on Fort Myers Beach on Tuesday.

Wildlife experts said it’s probably just a guy on the prowl looking for a mate.

People saw the gator in the water near the Best Western.

Some on the beach were excited to see the visitor but others were scared.

Gulf gators are rare but they are not unheard of.

“I’d rather dolphins, I would rather a dolphin,” said Lindsay Ochsanbein of Cape Coral.

The gator, either a male or female, could be on the hunt for a mate or searching for a nesting spot, according to experts.

Martha Jean said she would run away.

The little girl was on the beach on Tuesday with her inflatable alligator named Tommy.

“I would go up as high as I could on the sand and probably make a bunch of sandcastles,” Martha said.

If you’re a daredevil like Hippie Cartner, she would have gotten close to it.

“I would have liked to played with it, or taking a selfie, at least get close you know, danger. That would have been cool,” said Cartner, of Kansas City.

If you see a gator on the beach, don’t get near them.

Experts say they will attack if provoked.

Left alone, the reptiles are usually more afraid of you than you are of them.

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