Florida, battered by Hurricane Ian, is facing another danger: reptiles out on the streets. In Collier County, officials received reports about snakes and alligators in floodwaters.
"Emergency Management asks to please stay away from flood water," the county's government said in a tweet on September 29. "Flood water is dangerous."
In Florida's Lake County, a nine-foot alligator was seen swimming in floodwaters.
Another Twitter users shared videos of a shark in out in the street. Experts' views on the clip's authenticity were mixed.
George Burgess, who has worked with the Florida Museum of Natural History, told AP the animal “appears to be a juvenile shark". Dr. Neil from the University of Miami’s shark conservation program said “it’s pretty hard to tell.”
One video recorded a giant seal on a road. According to a fact-check carried out by AFP said the video was actually taken in 2020 in Chile.
Florida has a diverse wildlife, thanks to its peninsular geography and distinctive climate. The US state is home to many species of mammals, birds and reptiles.
At present, the state is dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, that made landfall on Wednesday, news agency Reuters reported. It was one of the most powerful storms seen on the US mainland.
The Category-4 hurricane left a trail of destruction: at least 10 dead, trees uprooted and power disrupted. Heavy rains accompanied the storm, flooding large parts of the state.
The storm is now headed towards South Carolina.
(With inputs from AP and Reuters)
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