A crocodile that attacked two swimmers in Coral Gables died after it was caught in a canal, officials said Friday.



The crocodile, which measured a whopping 12-foot-10, was nabbed after traps were set Thursday night in a canal near the area in Miami-Dade County where the two swimmers were bitten last weekend, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Jorge Pino said.

Pino said the crocodile had been weak and exhausted and later died at the facility where it was being held Friday morning before it was expected be relocated to a permanent spot.

It's the same crocodile responsible for the Sunday morning attack on 26-year-old Alejandro Jimenez, who was bitten while swimming in the brackish water around 2:30 a.m. in the Gables By the Sea neighborhood. Jimenez was taken to South Miami Hospital with lacerations to his arm, shoulder and back.

A second swimmer, Lissett Rendon, was also bitten but suffered only minor injuries.

Pino said it was the first reported crocodile attack in the United States.

Residents in the area said one crocodile, which they've nicknamed "Poncho," has been living in the area for 10 years. He's believed to be between 8 and 9 feet long and weighs about 350 pounds.

A second crocodile was also spotted in the area after the attack, officials said. Signs are posted throughout the neighborhood warning residents to beware of crocodiles and cautioning them against swimming.

American crocodiles live in coastal areas of the Caribbean and South Florida and are listed as a threatened species.