Watermelon-stealing alligator caught in the act

Alligators eat all sorts of things, but typically melons aren't among their preferred food choices, notes Orlando Sentinel.

Nonetheless, one in South Florida developed a taste for watermelon and soon after turned to a life of crime.

The large reptile was caught clenching a melon tightly in its sizable jaw while fleeing from the farm where he'd presumably stolen the tasty fruit, reports the New York Daily News.

Authorities were tipped off to the animal's activities by a Hendry County grower experiencing notable crop shrinkage.

At this time, the watermelon thieving appears to be limited to just the one gator.

According to Patch, how the Florida Agricultural Crimes Intelligence Unit intends to handle the situation is unclear, but it did obtain a photo of the perpetrator in the act.

That will no doubt be helpful should the department opt to file theft charges.