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5 1/2-foot alligator takes a ride in the back of a Polk County Sheriff's Office car

Deputies say the alligator was found on a family's porch in Eagle Lake.
Credit: Polk County Sheriff's Office

EAGLE LAKE, Fla. — One five-and-a-half foot intruder was hanging out somewhere he shouldn't have been and landed himself in the back of a deputy's car.

He's got sharp teeth and a pretty long tail, too.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office says an alligator was found on a family's porch Monday in Eagle Lake. The animal was safely apprehended by deputies Hardy and Ferguson, according to a tweet from the sheriff's office.

The deputies relocated the gator to Lake McLeod but not before snapping a picture with their new friend.

It is alligator mating season, which the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says occurs every year in either May or June.

The FWC says female alligators rarely exceed 10 feet in length, while the state record for the longest male alligator is 14 feet, three-and-a-half inches.

Anyone concerned about a gator can call the FWC's toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286 and a contracted nuisance alligator trapped will be sent to resolve the situation. 

You can learn more about living with alligators here

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