TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Drivers headed down I-95 in Brevard County this weekend may have encountered a uniquely Florida sight.
A massive alligator was captured on camera hitching a ride on the back of an SUV Saturday afternoon. According to WKMG, the roped reptile was spotted on I-95 just south of Melbourne, Brevard County.
The massive gator appeared to be tied up from tip to tail. Rope can be seen wrapped around the animal’s head, body, and tail. Straps secured the reptile to the rear of the Chevy SUV.
“It was definitely real,” photographer Karen Kress told NBC affiliate WESH. “Some blood around the base of the tail. I have to assume it was legally hunted.”
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the statewide alligator hunting season is in full swing. The hunting season began on Aug. 15 and ends Nov. 1.
One observant commenter wrote, “The gator was harvested during hunting season. You can see the yellow gator ‘tag’ fastened to his tail.”
It wasn’t immediately clear exactly how big the gator was, but it’s certainly not the type of ‘tail-gator’ you’d want to catch behind you.