A huge 9ft crocodile has shut down a beach after being spotted swimming towards a lifeguard.
A woman was taking a stroll on a pier overlooking the waters off the Florida coast when a scene straight out of a horror movie unfolded — a giant crocodile suddenly appeared and slithered toward a nearby lifeguard, who was in the water.
All the woman could do was scream, shouting at the lifeguard to warn him about the impending danger. He heeded her cries and promptly fled the water, urging other swimmers to follow suit.
He and other lifeguards shut down the beach, and within minutes, officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) were on the scene to investigate the brute. They determined that it was a female that had previously been tagged.
The popular, 3-mile-long (5km) beach remained closed for the rest of the day while the giant reptile hid under a shady area of the beach's pier. By the next day, it had slithered away, presumably back to its usual inland habitat.
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Wildlife expert Frank Mazzotti said the crocodile likely ran across land to reach the beach or swam over from an inlet. It likely returned to where it originated of its own accord, he said.
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The crocodile hung out near the pier for the majority of the day (Jam Press Vid/Sarah S./LOCAL NEW)
The crocodile caused a complete beach shutdown for all of last Monday (Jam Press Vid/Sarah S./LOCAL NEW)The scene unfolded at Pompano Beach just north of Miami, Florida, on Monday, September 18, and by Tuesday, the beach had reopened. A local council spokesperson, Sandra King, said that lifeguards are trained for emergencies, which include the appearance of sharks or runaway boats but that they hadn't received training for something like a crocodile sighting.
Nevertheless, she said that while "they had never experienced something like this before," they "knew what to do" and acted quickly, keeping beachgoers out of danger — their most important missive as lifeguards. She said the mere sight of the brute was "very scary."
American crocodiles are known to inhabit areas of the Florida coastline as well as several parts of Mexico, Central and South America. They're known to favour brackish or saltwater bodies, which can include ponds, coves and creeks in some mangrove swamps, according to the FWC.
The FWC says they are a "shy and reclusive species" and can easily "be surprised by an approaching person." If that happens, they can noisily enter the water, with lots of splashing, but the FWC warned that the behaviour "should not be misunderstood." It simply means the beast is frightened, not aggressive.
Crocodiles differ from alligators in that they're generally lighter in colour and have tapered snouts. They also prefer salt water as opposed to fresh water like alligators.
It's unclear what triggered the crocodile last Monday, but it seems as though both nearby humans and the reptile itself remained safe throughout the incident.
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