A brave Florida man was filmed following a gigantic alligator estimated to be 10-feet long as the apex predator took a lazy morning stroll down his street.
The video was taken Sunday morning in Venice, Florida, before it was later shared by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office on social media.
‘Just walking our pet alligator this morning,’ said the man behind the recording of the massive reptilian before mimicking its every move .
He could be seen joking as the gator took sporadic breaks to lay its hulking body down grassed gardens or asphalt roads.
The cameraman, who has not been named, made sure to stand well behind the gator, so as to keep out of the path of its killer fangs, and followed the huge reptile as it made its way to a nearby lake.
Local residents in Venice, Florida, captured footage of a 10-feet alligator crawling through their neighborhood to get to Harrington Lake, before the footage was shared by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office
The sheriff’s office notified the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which did not respond to its call.
Deputies also warned neighbors to be on alert because the alligator sauntered down to Harrington Lake to take an Easter morning swim.
‘It’s safe to assume he’s still swimming in [Harrington Lake],’ the sheriff’s office said.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the FWC’s regional office in Sarasota County for comment.
Alligators can grow up to 16 feet long and weigh up to 1,000 pounds, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
Officials from across the state have also averted Floridians that alligator mating season is set to begin, meaning sighting of the creatures will be a lot more frequent between now and June.
Females typically hatch eggs over the summer, where they will form nests of around 30 to 50 eggs between July and September.
‘If you see an alligator leave it alone, give it its distance,’ Dan Costell, manager at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, told Fox 13.
Alligators are a common sight in Florida, where they are often found living in freshwater areas including golf courses, as these areas usually provide an abundance of food.
The reptilians feed on birds, insects, amphibians, small fish and other invertebrates though larger ones have been seen eating deer, bears and even other alligators.
Locals know to keep their pets indoors – particularly at night, because gators are nocturnal. They also avoid walking dogs near murky water after dark for the same reason.
TIME FOR A BATH: The massive reptilian dove into the lake after walking some distance and was the talk of the town over Easter weekend
State officials in Florida have warned residents to take caution when seeing an alligator as mating season, which occurs between May and June, is set to start
Alligators are mainly opportunistic predators too and will eat pretty much anything they can get their jaws on.
They do this by grabbing hold of their prey in their jaws and dragging it under the water, at which point they violently spin in an effort to drown it, something known as a ‘death roll’.
While they don’t actively hunt humans, there have been reports of attacks on people when they get too close.
However, it’s rare for an alligator chase a human on dry land.
Humans can run up to 15 mph (24 kph) to cover short distances whereas alligators run at 11 mph (18 kph) on land.
Florida is a known haven for the apex predators, with the state being home to an estimated 1.3 million alligators, spread out around all 67 counties.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported the latest largest alligator to be 14 feet and 3 1/2 inches, while the record weight is 1,043 pounds.
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