An alligator wandered onto the Strawbridge Avenue asphalt near the “Historic Downtown Melbourne” arch Sunday while storms rolled through the area as Hurricane Irma approached.

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A Melbourne Fire Department employee filmed the reptile walking off the pavement near a Space Coast Area Transit bus stop, then dashing into a grassy retention area, said Cheryl Mall, city spokeswoman.

Mall did not have additional details on the alligator encounter.

Bonus critter tale: Unrelated to the alligator crawling, and then sprinting, to the retention pond, FLORIDA TODAY reader Natalie Twine sent in a photo of a catfish swimming around Erik Court in Melbourne.

Contact Neale at 321-242-3638

or rneale@floridatoday.com.

Twitter: @rickneale1