Alligator turns heads with strange orange color
A small town has gained a lot of attention recently for its strange resident -- an orange alligator.
The creature, which is just 4.5 feet long, lives in a pond in Hanahan, South Carolina.
No one seems to know why the gator is a rusty, sweet-potato color. One expert speculated it could be caused by an "environmental factor," such as a pollutant or algae.
The Post and Courier reported that a Facebook post about the beast has gone viral. One person dubbed the animal a "Trumpgator."
A local resident who photographed the alligator told the paper, "I just thought, what the hell is that?"
Robert McCullough, a spokesman for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, told the Post and Courier they haven't received any official reports of strange-looking gators in the area.
White alligators have been spotted before, and albinism can sometimes present itself in colors other than white -- but albino alligators rarely survive in the wild.
See photos of gators:
