Photo via North Palm Beach/Twitter
A Florida community is asking residents to be “please be cautious” after an American crocodile took up residence at a local golf course.
According to the Village of North Palm Beach, an American crocodile has set up camp at the Country Club, and not only is it not budging, but it legally can’t be removed.
“An American crocodile is living in the ponds at the Country Club golf course,” says a Twitter post from the Village of North Palm Beach. “The Fish & Wildlife Commission says federal law will not allow removal of the croc, so please be cautious near our golf course ponds.”
The post also shows a photo of the seemingly large croc with its mouth open wide as it lays out near a sand trap.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, native American crocodiles are a “shy and reclusive species,” so don’t be too alarmed when you come across one showing off its teeth like in the photo above, this is actually called “gaping,” and is often used to regulate their temperature.
There are currently about 2,000 American crocodiles in the state of Florida, says the FWC, and they’re found in coastal areas from the Keys to as far north as Tampa Bay.
American crocodiles were added to the federally endangered species list back in 1975, and are currently classified as “threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Florida is the only place where alligators and crocodiles coexist in the wild.
This story originally appeared at Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
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