Family Discovers Alligator Without Front Legs in Home's Pond

An alligator has endeared himself to a Florida family after he showed up in their pond, and the reptile has even gone on to make friends with their turtles.

In a post uploaded to Reddit's r/mildlyinteresting group, user Court04 wrote that the alligator they called "Nubs" arrived at their parents' pond in Fort Myers, Florida, after Hurricane Ian struck in September 2022. A photo shared with the caption shows Nubs swimming in a pond, but he appears to have long lost his two front limbs. "He now hangs with their [parents'] turtles every day," a caption on the post reads.

"The alligator lives in the pond," Court04 told Newsweek. "He showed up after Hurricane Ian. My parents were not too surprised because, throughout the years, they would see alligators in the pond every so often."

The Reddit user added: "I have 11-year-old quadruplets, and they call the alligator 'Nubs.' The alligator is usually under the bridge in the pond.

"He seems to be fending for himself OK, and we think he eats the small fish and frogs that live in the pond."

Since being uploaded in early October, the post has been upvoted more than 6,500 times and has received almost 300 comments.

Staying Safe From Alligators

Alligators can be found in all 67 counties of Florida and inhabit the state's marshes, swamps, rivers, and lakes. Many live in close proximity to people, following large population growth in recent years.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says that there are many ways people in the state can coexist with alligators and minimize their risk of being injured by one. These include:

• Never feed an alligator and keep your distance if you see one
• Swim only in designated areas during daylight hours
• Keep pets on a leash and away from the water

If you are concerned about an alligator, call the FWC's toll-free hotline at 866-392-4286. The FWC will dispatch one of its contracted nuisance alligator trappers to resolve the situation.

Online Reaction to the Post

Many of those who commented on the post speculated how Nubs ended up without arms, shared jokes, and also warned about how the alligator could still be dangerous.

Reddit user ExtraAgressiveHugger wrote: "I am guessing a bigger alligator attacked him when he was little. I did an alligator swamp tour in New Orleans and the guide said the biggest threat to alligators for the first several years of their lives is other alligators. Males will attack all of the other males."

Dudephish, whose comment was upvoted more than 2,800 times, added: "No need to be scared of him, he's armless."

Picasso320 commented: "[It's] still [a] wild animal. Still unpredictable. Still dangerous."