Factz

No Tail-Gatoring, Please: 11-Foot Monster Alligator Spotted Joyriding Down Florida Highway

Maybe it’s the swamp gas or toxic algae, but something’s screwy in Florida.

If it’s not Florida Man main-lining bath salts and challenging Civil War statues to a dance-off or someone’s cousin’s dog being elected Sheriff (but then being rejected because it’s over-qualified, it is Florida after all), it’s some sort of fuckery having to do with alligators.

This time, the alligator was going on a joy-ride, but he didn’t look too joyful about the experience.

This week, a woman photographed an 11-foot alligator strapped to the back of an SUV in Brevard County, driving down I-95 like it’s a totally normal thing to do.

Once again, after all – it is Florida. Normal is relative.

The caption of the image shared on social media read, “Spotted on I-95 yesterday. Obviously, this is in Floriduh.”

All Florida Man jokes aside (wait, one more – the gator was clearly on his way to a political rally to support banning teachers from wearing socks in the classroom), what actually happened here?

The gator’s capture was likely part of an annual gator harvest, given the yellow tag on his tail.

Alligator culling season in Florida runs through November, and around 5,000 people vie for 7,000 annual permits to harvest gators that range from just over three feet to fourteen feet in length. Last year, Florida Fish and Wildlife reports that just over 7,900 gators were culled during the season.

Compared to some of his other captured compatriots, Rough Rider Gatorboy was just a little fella.

While anything goes in the Sunshine State, including copious amounts of meth, dubious levels of cousin marriage and political battles over Mickey Mouse, it’s not exactly common to see a gator strapped to the back of an SUV on I-95.

But of course, it is Florida.