A swimmer had a lucky escape after picking up a ‘floating log’ in a lake before promptly realising it was an alligator.
The clip showed the young woman throwing water over her face as she bathed in the lake.
She then noticed something floating between her legs and, presuming it was driftwood, calmly lifted it out of the water to check.
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However, she screamed in shock when she noticed it was actually a young alligator.
The woman launched the reptile into the air and scrambled towards the shore in fear.
The encounter took place in a lagoon in Campeche, southern Mexico, on Sunday (5 Apr).
The reptile is believed to have been a spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus), a crocodilian in the family Alligatoridae.
The video went viral on social media with over 250,000 views and hundreds of comments, as reported by Whats The Jam.
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One local said: “What does your mum do on Sunday afternoons? She hunts alligators with her bare hands, hahaha.”
“A mum’s worst nightmare,” added another.
Marc remarked: “Poor croc, he must have got quite a fright from such a large animal.”
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“How scary,” added María.
Mony said: “Poor alligator, how she threw it!”
Experts said the encounter highlighted the incredible camouflage abilities of crocodilians, which often float at the surface to regulate body temperature, sometimes resembling weathered wood.
Wildlife officials warned tourists and residents to exercise extreme caution in unknown waters, noting: “If it looks like a log in a lagoon, assume it has teeth.”
In Mexico, spectacled caimans are primarily found in the southern lowlands, while their close relatives, the Morelet’s and American crocodiles, inhabit various coastal and freshwater regions across the country.
Caimans and crocodiles in these regions prefer slow-moving or stagnant water where they can float with only their eyes and snouts visible.
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