Florida Deputy Captures Tiny Alligator Hiding Under a Driveway

Alligators can fit into some very small spaces, especially when the alligator itself is small.

This was proven true in Flagler, Florida, on Tuesday, when a three-foot alligator was spotted inside a culvert beneath a residential driveway.

Fortunately, many Florida residents know how to handle alligators. Agriculture Unit Deputy Chandler Anderson can count himself as one of those, as he successfully captured the baby reptile and relocated it to a nearby pond.

Not that the gator wrangling was easy. Deputy Anderson had to grasp the wriggling baby alligator by the neck, place it in a cage, then transport it via pickup truck to its new home — all of which was captured by an X video the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office posted on Tuesday that was captioned, “🐊🐊🐊”.

The Deputy also wrapped what looked to be black tape around the alligator’s mouth to ensure it didn’t bite. The baby gator didn’t take kindly to this, as it can be heard hissing as the tape was removed at the video’s end.

A driveway crevasse is a unique spot to find a small alligator. But occurrences like these aren’t uncommon during the fall in Florida, as this is when young gators leave their nesting areas in search of a new home.

This young alligator needed some extra assistance starting its adult life.

Alligators that are about three feet long are typically between two and three years old. American alligators can typically live between 35 and 50 years in the wild, which means this young one has a lot of living ahead.

That living just can’t happen beneath a driveway.