Chicago's Resident Gator Is On Social Media And It's Hilarious

HUMBOLDT PARK, CHICAGO — Alligators have four toes on their "hands," so they generally don't use Twitter. But then again, alligators generally don't live in Chicago. Unless you count the one that was spotted in a Humboldt Park lagoon Tuesday.

Chicagoans are adept at making the most out of an unfortunate or downright weird circumstance, so it didn't take long for alligator-inspired events to pop up on Facebook after the gator sighting was confirmed. As event RSVPs rolled in, the Humboldt Park Gator used his newfound stardom to start a Twitter account.

To be fair, there are at least two Twitter accounts claiming to be the Humboldt Park Gator. Though we cannot confirm which Twitter account truly belongs to lagoon dweller, we expect it's the one with this post:

The @ParkGator account was created by Chicago comedian Jon Torres, who urged his fans to follow the social media-savvy reptile.

The dueling Humboldt Park Gator account shows a gator with a sassier side, who told Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Gugliemi, "let me live tony," after Gugliemi said the gator would be "humanely trapped and relocated."

Facebook users wasted no time in setting up events inspired by the alligator, a nod to 2018's slew of ridiculous "Bean" events that were set to take place at Cloud Gate.

If you're looking for something adventurous to do, you can join a group of Chicagoans who want to "sneak into the Humboldt Park Lagoon and pet the gator." The event inspired some hilarious comments, including,"Whoever released this gator is going to heaven for all the joy they gifted into the world."

If petting Chicago's newest superstar isn't enough for you, you can stick around for the "Swim with Our New Alligator" event, which is exactly what it sounds like, with the addition of kids activities that include feeding bunnies to the gator.

The event offers the following pricing:

• Meet and greet with children, $50
• Meet and greet and leave without your children, $125

The events each had thousands of Chicagoans interested in attending.

Block Club Chicago chimed in with their own contest to name the Chicago gator via a poll on Twitter. One suggestion? "Cloud Gator, but everyone outside Chicago calls it Bean."

Finally, it couldn't be a Chicago thing without mentions of Malort and a Humboldt Park alligator pop-up bar.

As of Wednesday afternoon, police were still searching for the elusive alligator, though crews had set traps overnight.

Read more: Search For Alligator Underway In Humboldt Park Lagoon