Friday, February 15th 2019, 3:31 pm - An orange alligator is turning heads in South Carolina, but this isn't the first time they've been seen in the area.
At least two orange alligators are making residents stop in their tracks in a South Carolina neighbourhood.
They don't seem bothered by their new-found celebrity status.
Did you see our segment on the orange alligator roaming around Bluffton?! I'll be sure to stay away from whatever self-tanner this guy is using 🙅🏼♀️ pic.twitter.com/Se3InfeEpo
Did you see our segment on the orange alligator roaming around Bluffton?! I’ll be sure to stay away from whatever self-tanner this guy is using 🙅🏼♀️ Riley Miller on Twitter: "Did you see our segment on the orange alligator roaming around Bluffton?! I'll be sure to stay away from whatever self-tanner this guy is using 🙅🏼♀️ pic.twitter.com/Se3InfeEpo / Twitter"
— Riley Miller (@RileyWJCL) Riley Miller on Twitter: "Did you see our segment on the orange alligator roaming around Bluffton?! I'll be sure to stay away from whatever self-tanner this guy is using 🙅🏼♀️ pic.twitter.com/Se3InfeEpo / Twitter"
The reptiles were spotted earlier this week.
“We walk past this pond every day, at least once or twice,” Chad Goodwin told CNN.
“There’s a larger one and a smaller one and they take turns in the pond.”
RELATED: Massive alligator takes a stroll on a Florida golf course
Goodwin says he wasn't sure what they were at first because they were "pumpkin orange".
While they may look unusual, it turns out orange alligators aren't uncommon -- and they've been seen out in the wild before.
Here's a photo of one that was taken in February 2017, allegedley in North Carolina:
🔥 Orange Alligator pic.twitter.com/dbrgogs4YZ
🔥 Orange Alligator Nature is Lit on Twitter: "🔥 Orange Alligator pic.twitter.com/dbrgogs4YZ / Twitter"
— Nature is Lit (@Nature_Is_Lit) Nature is Lit on Twitter: "🔥 Orange Alligator pic.twitter.com/dbrgogs4YZ / Twitter"
WHY ARE THESE 'GATORS ORANGE?
Their orange hue has nothing to do with Mother Nature, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
RELATED: See the strange way alligators survive a cold snap
“The likely thing could be is that they spent the winter hibernating in a rusty culvert or drainage pipe, or somewhere up on a bank where there’s some rust,” David Lucas of the DNR told CNN.
They should return to a normal colour after spending some more time in the water.
