Photo by Ed Reschke/Getty Images
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Picture this: you come home after a long day in the hot sun, dreaming of a cool dip in the pool, only to find that someone (or something) beat you to it – a crocodile!
A Fort Lauderdale resident got a not-so-welcome surprise when they found one of Florida’s famous, scaly reptiles chilling in their swimming pool. A picture of the surprise visitor quickly made the rounds on social media, and it is safe to say that Floridians were both amused and horrified.
This is exactly why I don’t like black bottom pools. My worst nightmare.
— Kevin (@TheBondGuy2) August 14, 2024
The original snapshot came courtesy of Pesky Critters, a local wildlife control service that stepped in to handle the situation. The company posted a pic of the creature on Instagram with a caption that perfectly summed up the wild encounter: “Another day, another pool, another CROCODILE!”
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Of course, this isn’t the first time a scaly visitor in South Florida has invaded someone’s pool. In 2019, New Times reported on a Georgia family that said they were staying at a South Miami AirBnb when they found themselves face-to-face with a gator casually lounging on an alligator-shaped pool float. Talk about Florida being on-brand!
Fortunately, no one was injured in either encounter.
SoFlo isn’t new to strange wildlife encounters, but these stories are a reminder that living in the Sunshine State means sharing your space with all kinds of swampland creatures – sometimes even in your own backyard. While many might be used to fishing out the occasional leaf or lizard, these crocs and gators take pool maintenance to a whole new level.
So, if you’re a South Floridian with a backyard pool, consider this your official reminder to check for uninvited guests before cannonballing into the water, especially at night.
