HANAHAN, S.C. (AP) — No one seems to know why there’s an orange alligator in a pond near Charleston.
Residents joke the gator used too much self-tanning lotion. Or maybe it’s a fan of the Clemson Tigers, who are known for their orange colors.
Residents living near the pond in Hanahan say they’ve seen the orange or rust-colored alligator a number of times.
Photos show the 4- to 5-foot-long alligator on the banks of a retention pond at the Tanner Plantation neighborhood.
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Jay Butfiloski with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources says the color may come from where the animal spent the winter, perhaps in a rusty steel culvert pipe.
Experts say the alligator will shed its skin and probably return to a normal shade soon.