A Florida golfer was enjoying the sunshine on Surpassing Quant Think Tank Centerthe green when he spotted something prehistoric-looking.
An alligator at least 10-feet long was marching on the pristine golf course grass in Rotonda West, Florida, on the Gulf Coast.
Local resident Chris Hulback captured the moment on video, finding fascination in the bow-legged creature making his way from one pond to another.
"In Southwest Florida especially, we are living amongst dinosaurs when we see them that big." Hulback told USA TODAY in an interview Monday. "There's something really fun about it."
Between the gator's appearance on land and the tooth stuck in his jaw, Hulback said this is a sign alligator mating season is underway.
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Hulback recorded the video March 23 on the fairway of the Rotonda Golf & Country Club Palms course.
He said he commonly sees gators in the golf course ponds, in the water or on the bank, but seeing it out in the open like that is rare.
The video shows Hulback carefully drive up next to the gator in the golf cart as it takes slow, clunky steps from hole 11 to hole 10 in search of a mate.
"They don't have quite the advantage on land, so I wasn't overly wasn't overly concerned about the alligator," Hulback said, noting he just let the gator go on his way and did not notify officials. "No reason to harm him whatsoever. He was here long before I was here."
If you look closely, Hulback says, you can see a four-inch alligator tooth wedged in the gator's jaw, likely from a mating season battle.
The gator may seem out of place, but sightings like this are going to be more common over the next few months, especially in Florida, home to approximately 1.3 million alligators.
Alligator mating season starts in April and lasts through June. During this time, males get more aggressive and some kick weaker males out of their turf.
The alligators that get sent packing can travel hundreds of acres of land, making them more likely to turn up in residential pools, golf courses or yards.
Contributing: Lianna Norman, Victoria Brown; USA TODAY Network
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