11-Foot-Long Croc Traveled 350 Miles to Lake Tarpon, Experts Say

This post was written by Patch Local Editor Rachel Jolley.

No doubt, when trappers successfully captured a 700-pound American Crocodile from Lake Tarpon last month, residents were a bit on edge.

Officials think this was a rare occurance, but there's no way to tell if it will or won't happen again.

State wildlife experts told the Tampa Bay Times that the crocodile is about 14 years-old and is from the Turkey Point nuclear plant area in Miami-Dade County. 

The 350-mile journey to Lake Tarpon makes it the farthest traveling crocodile on record in the state of Florida, according to the Times.

Experts from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told the Times they knew the croc was from the Turkey Point area because baby crocodiles in that area are marked by wildlife officials. The American Crocodile that was captured from Lake Tarpon had this marking.

Can we rest easy now that the big guy has been relocated to his original home? 

According to wildlife experts, there is no way to tell for sure, considering animals sometimes return to where they wandered.

Gary Morse of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told the Tampa Bay Times that humans can't really predict what a crocodile is thinking.
 
Therefore, only time will tell whether or not the 11-footer will make an encore appearance in Lake Tarpon.

Read the full story from the Times.