Alligator Spotted Poking Head Out Of Storm Drain In Florida Neighborhood

Florida sewer rats are real, but they're more scaly than furry.

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office announced a finding on their Twitter Monday (December 21). Deputies said a jogger discovered a six-foot-long alligator sticking its head out of a storm drain opening in a Venice neighborhood.

"Imagine coming across this on your morning jog!" authorities wrote in the Twitter post, which included a photo of the gator. Deputies lifted the concrete slab to help free the animal along Cerromar Terrace. Deputies said the gator was released to a nearby lake after a trapper didn't respond to their call.

"I did almost trip over him this morning!" one woman wrote on a similar Facebook post by the sheriff's office. "I was about four feet from him when I realized!"

A couple Twitter users, including a local reporter, had some funny comments on the encounter:

Gator stories are a staple in strange Florida news, whether the reptiles in their natural habitat or taking a stroll through a golf course.

Photo: Sarasota County Sheriff's Office