Authorities in Texas got an unusual visitor on Tuesday after an alligator from Louisiana was found on the beach in the Lone Star State.
Members of the National Park Service (NPS) were conducting their usual patrols for sea turtles when they spotted the American alligator alone on the sandy shore of Malaquite Beach in Corpus Christi, Texas, CNN reports.
The reptile is believed to have made the long saltwater journey across the Gulf of Mexico, indicated by a notch on its tail and a tag on its foot, officials reported.
"We are kind of speculating that perhaps it was washed out during one of the flooding events in Louisiana," Kelly Taylor, Padre Island National Seashore public information officer told CNN on Wednesday.
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This year, Louisiana has experienced a record-breaking amount of rainfall, leading experts to believe this young alligator began its journey after it was swept away during a recent flash flood.
Taylor continued, "It had a significant amount of algae on it's back that leads us to speculate that it was floating in the Gulf for a while."
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The far-away visitor spent part of the day basking in the sun to help keep the algae off its back, Taylor added.
The lucky animal was later transported to a rehabilitation facility to allow the gator to recover from its interstate journey.
“See ya later, alligator!”
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