A body was found on the banks of a Florida lake on Thursday surrounded by 10 alligators, some of whom dragged it through the water, according to the witnesses who discovered it.

Witnesses saw alligators dragging the body through the water by the mangroves of Lake Maggiore in Saint Petersburg, Florida, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

“I saw an alligator take a chunk out of (the body), throw it up in the air and catch it and eat it,” witness Patricia Kays told the newspaper. “I had to go back to the car after that. I couldn’t watch it anymore.”

Witness Otis Crawford called police after he saw alligators eating the body, Crawford told WFTS.

Police and investigators say that the cause of death is still unknown.

St. Petersburg police public information officer Samantha Williams told USA TODAY that the body was so decomposed they couldn’t determine race or gender.

After witnesses spotted the body, the police department contacted St. Petersburg Fire Rescue to remove the body from the lake using a boat, according to the Times.

The boat made its way across the lake as authorities looked for personal items that could help police and investigators identify the body, per the Times. None were found.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) Commission spokesperson Melody Kilborn said in a statement that a contracted nuisance alligator trapper has been dispatched to the site for alligator removal and to assist with recovery.

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She added that serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida.

"FWC places the highest priority on public safety and administers a Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) to address complaints concerning specific alligators believed to pose a threat to people, pets or property," she said via email.

The American Alligator's mating season typically begins in the spring, extending into the late summer and early fall, according to the FWC.

The state's estimated 1.3 million alligators are more active, visible and aggressive when they mate, per the website.

Alligators have been connected to another recent death in Florida. After a man reportedly drowned June 29, police in Fort Meade, Florida said a witness found a body partially eaten by an alligator. According to authorities, the man's hand and foot were found inside the gator’s stomach.

While the chances of being bitten in Florida are 1 in 3.2 million, but attacks have been on the rise in recent years.

Follow Elinor Aspegren on Twitter: @elinoraspegren. Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, The Associated Press