American crocodiles are rare and one just showed up on a Florida beach, video shows

A rarely seen American crocodile found its way ashore along Florida’s Treasure Coast, 160 miles north of Miami.

It happened the first week of November in Indian River County, and video shows beachgoers were shaken when the 8-foot reptile decided to stick around.

Only 1,500 to 2,000 adult crocodiles survive in southern Florida’s brackish swamps, so seeing one on a public beach is highly unusual, according to the South Florida Wildlands Association.

“This rare capture of a croc in Sebastian, Florida, is at the very northern end of the range,” the association wrote on Facebook.

“American crocodiles range from the northern coast of South America through Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. In the U.S., only the southern end of Florida hosts a population of these native American reptiles.”

The video was credited to Tiara Alessandra and it reports the sighting occurred between Sebastian Inlet and the Mel Fisher Treasures Museum.

It shows the crocodile sat still at the edge of the surf (jaws closed), with only its tail occasionally moving. The association noted it seemed “to love having the waves splash over its body.”

A longer version of the video posted to TikTok shows the reptile eventually walked into the ocean, where it quickly vanished beneath the waves.

Florida is home to crocodiles and alligators, and it’s typically the alligators that show up on public beaches. However, alligators have a preference for fresh water, and don’t stay long, experts say.

“American crocodiles” have a higher tolerance for saltwater, but are “shy and reclusive” making beach encounters less likely, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says.

Male American crocodiles can reach 20 feet, “but rarely exceed 14 feet in the wild,” according to Everglades National Park.

The crocodile video has gotten nearly 200,000 views on Facebook since being posted Nov. 2, and hundreds of reactions and comments. This includes some who didn’t know the state had crocodiles and others who said they never heard of one being that far north.

“I think he’s going to get his way and have the beach to his self until he decides to leave,” one woman wrote.

“These scare me way more (than) sharks! Crocs just shouldn’t be in the ocean,” another posted.

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