Orange alligators are turning heads in South Carolina
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.
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.”
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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:
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).
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“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.
