Crocodile Steals Pool Noodle to Cross Florida Canal

With all apologies to Jack Handy - but if you ever see your pool noodle being used by a crocodile, let it go, because man, it's gone. 

Key Largo resident Victor Perez was hanging out on his balcony one night when he spotted something unusual. 

“I’m on my balcony,” Perez told the Miami Herald, “and all of a sudden, I see this noodle and there’s a crocodile hanging off of it. I had to get my phone.”

The Miami native, who owns Reef Tropical Cleaning, says he's used to crocodiles hanging around the Keys, but it was a new experience to see one chilling with a yellow foam pool toy like that. 

At first, Perez says he didn't realize the crocodile was using it to swim - the personal floatation device seemed to be just drifting around in the water. 

“It was just cruising along, and I was like, ‘OK, where’s the swimmer?’” Perez said. 

It was only after he looked closer that he noticed the dark, brownish-green reptile hanging off the pool toy. That's when he sprang up to grab his phone and snap some photos of the unusual sight.

The National Weather Service in Key West even shared the photo with the caption reminding people to stay safe when they go into the water. 

“Yes, that is a crocodile on a noodle. Even they know how to ‘Play It Safe’ when heading into the water!”

“I don’t know how he got that thing, but he looked like just any typical Florida tourist!" Perez joked. 

In case you're curious, no, they didn't get the pool noodle back. 

“Someone wrote, ‘Are you gonna get the noodle back?’ and I said, ‘Nope, I’m not volunteering!’ ” Perez said.

If you're worries about crocodiles stealing your pool noodles, fear not. Most American crocodiles are found around the southern tip of Florida, though some have been seen as far north as the Tampa Bay area. 

The National Park Service says crocodiles should be respected, but aren't necessarily something to be afraid of. 

"Crocodiles ... are rare and secretive creatures that inhabit coastal, brackish, and salt-water habitats," the NPS explains on its website. "Although the aggressive reputation earned by the American crocodile’s distant, larger, man-eating cousins in Australia and Africa may inspire fear of crocodiles inhabiting the Everglades, conflict with humans rarely occurs because of the shy nature of American crocodiles."