Spotted in Cape Coral: An alligator in a tree?

CAPE CORAL, Fla.- Can alligators climb trees?

Ronald Saracino of Cape Coral certainly thinks so! Although he’s lived in Southwest Forida for eight years he was shocked at what he says he found up in a tree near Viscaya Parkway and 9th Lane.

“Saw something in a tree, at first I thought maybe it was a lizard,” Saracino said. “The more I looked at it, the more I thought it was actually probably a 5-foot gator.”

He added, “I know people are not going to believe it, but I 100 percent believe it was a gator!”

“They are more agile than people give them credit for,” explained Amy Sera, an educator at the Calusa Nature Center in Fort Myers. Sera says it’s common for gators to climb things, such as fences, if they need to.

“I’ve seen picture of crocodiles doing that behavior. It gives them a little bit better view of their territory,” Sera said. “Cold blooded animals get their energy from the sun and the warmth. So, they are more active in the summer.”

Florida Fish and Wildlife officials agree Saracino’s image may very well be a gator because of the position the animal is resting in and the size of the body in relation to the head.

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