A new homeowner in the Florida Keys had quite a surprise waiting in his swimming pool this week: an 8-foot American crocodile.
The homeowner recently moved to Lower Matecumbe Key from Pennsylvania. His croc guest was taking a dip in his pool along the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday.
“He thought it was a toy … he thought someone put a floatie in the pool,” contractor Bob Mceoroy told CNN affiliate WPLG.
The reptile was captured on camera by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the images posted on social media.
While local Fish and Wildlife officials decided what to do with the croc, video showed it slowly lumbering back to the ocean — apparently tired of its new found fame.
Not to be confused with its more common relative the alligator, crocodiles are shy and reclusive. But both rely on external sources to heat their bodies.
The pool was heated, which probably explains this particular crocodile’s attraction to the water.