SURFSIDE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Friday morning, a Surfside Beach employee stumbled on a rare sight at the water’s edge.
Shawn Galippo posted several images on his personal Facebook page after he spotted a small alligator in the water in Surfside Beach.
“I’m out on my tractor on the beach this morning and see something down at the edge of the water that looks like a big eel,” Galippo wrote under the photos. “As I get close, the eel then stood up and started walking towards me!!!”
According to the NOAA, while alligators can tolerate the salty water for a few hours or a few days, they are primarily freshwater animals, living in swampy areas, rivers, streams and ponds.
Information from South Carolina Parks says alligators are generally more visible in the breeding season, which stretches from March to July.
Galippo says the gator was eventually caught and relocated.