Officials have closed a Florida beach because of a rare sighting – a crocodile swimming close to shore.
City of Pompano Beach spokeswoman Sandra King told USA Today that city lifeguards were finishing up a swim Monday morning when a woman on a nearby pier spotted a 9-foot crocodile swimming near the lifeguards.
King told the newspaper that the woman who spotted the giant reptile shouted to get the attention of lifeguards, allowing them to help her colleagues and others swimming near the crocodile safely out of the water.
“Lifeguards are trained for all emergencies like a shark or a runaway boat, but in this case it was a crocodile,” King said. They had never experienced anything like this before, but they knew what to do.
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A video of the crocodile’s appearance in the ocean shows the animal swimming through the blue water next to and under the pier at Pompano Beach.
Lifeguards decided to close the beach to swimming as the crocodile frolicked in the water, reopening the area on Tuesday after seeing no sign of the crocodile near the 3-mile stretch of beach.
TMX
While a crocodile in the ocean may seem like a rare sight, University of Florida endangered species researcher Frank Mazzotti told NBC 6 South Florida that it is common for crocodiles in Florida to swim out of the marshes into the bays and ocean.
He added that it is not “unusual” for the reptile to turn up on the jetty as crocodiles are “attracted to structures”.
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“Something like a dock will be a place for them to hide, a place for food to eat, they do that and it’s not an uncommon behavior,” said Mazzotti, who also noted that American crocodiles, which are native to Florida, are more docile than other breeds. .
“They are not aggressive, and what they eat are crabs [and] fish,” the researcher explained. “Mammals like us aren’t on their diet.” Although he said that if someone came across a crocodile, they should “walk away calmly.”
Mazzotti told NBC 6 South Florida that there are about 2,000 American alligators in South Florida, with many living near Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
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A large crocodile swims near a pier in Pompano Beach, Florida.
TMX
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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lists the American crocodile as an endangered species.
The agency added that American crocodiles are a “shy and reclusive species.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education