Multiple people contacted authorities last week after seeing what they believed to be an alligator on the side of the road in Plano.
The calls to the Plano Animal Shelter were made during Monday morning rush hour on the George Bush Tollway, where motorists claimed to see the reptile in the westbound lane.
“You never know what you’re going to see on your morning commute!” tweeted the animal shelter above a photo of what turned out to be a small, realistic alligator toy resting on the asphalt. Another photo alongside it showed the plastic lizard wearing pink bunny ears nestled in an office Easter display.
You never know what you’re going to see on your morning commute! 🐊 😂 See ‘ya later, alligator? After a while crocodile! pic.twitter.com/dZcJ2dlHCM
— City of Plano (@cityofplanotx) April 4, 2023
One Dallas resident, Derik Lattig, commented on the tweet, “This whole story is a croc!”
This whole story is a croc!
— Derik Lattig (@NewzProducer) April 4, 2023
Another user, Becky Pool, replied to a Facebook post of the images, “I would say that was a pretty good way to start the day today! Hilarious! He’s a perfect addition to your Easter decor.”
Deeper in the thread, another social media user, Whitney Miller Dombrowski, claimed to have found a “croc” somewhere on Park Boulevard, posting a photo of a single, dark-colored shoe left in the middle of the road.
While alligator sightings are relatively rare in North Texas, this does not mean the reptiles are entirely absent in the region. There are still known populations living in and around Lake Lewisville, Lake Worth, and even the Trinity River. In fact, media reports as recent as 2021 noted that sightings were on the rise, per CBS 11.
Still, they are more likely to be seen in other parts of Texas, although not always in the wild.
As reported in The Dallas Express, a Texas woman allegedly stole an alligator egg or a hatchling from a local zoo and raised it at her home in Buda. The animal grew to be 7 feet long before the woman was reported to the police by a concerned neighbor.
An even bigger one was found roaming a neighborhood last September in Katy, outside of Houston. That alligator was roughly 11 feet long and weighed 400 pounds, a titan compared to the one prompting calls in Plano last week. The big one was captured by authorities and safely relocated, as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
In Texas, back in the 1950’s as a kid, the 5 & dime stores would often have a small, shallow pool where a person could buy baby alligators. (Caiman is actually what type it was.)