The "Melbourne Beach crocodile" has become a multimedia star in parts of Florida ... because it apparently loves Florida.
The crocodile earned its nickname after a series of sightings in the Melbourne Beach area. As of June 6, 2024, there have been about 14 reported sightings of possibly the same crocodile since 2019. Some of those crocodile sightings occurred outside of Brevard County, which has 72 miles of coast, but the majority of them happened in Melbourne Beach.
Here's a timeline of the Melbourne Beach crocodile's comings and goings.
Melbourne Beach crocodile really loves this part of Florida. It keeps showing up
What is the Melbourne Beach crocodile?
The "Melbourne Beach crocodile" earned its nickname after a series of sightings in or near Melbourne Beach, Florida, from 2019 to 2024. Photos and video of the crocodile on Facebook, X (the social media site formerly known as Twitter) or Instagram receive a lot of engagement whenever there's a Melbourne Beach crocodile sighting. A video of the apparent Melbourne Beach crocodile splashing on the shoreline of Sebastian Inlet went viral.
Where is the Melbourne Beach crocodile in Florida?
Dec. 17, 2019: According to FLORIDA TODAY, a crocodile lingered in a neighborhood in South Patrick Shores, Florida, causing a stir among residents. The reptile was seen in the Berkeley Street canal in South Patrick Shores. He laid in the sun, walked in backyards and swam in the canal. South Patrick Shores is south of Patrick Space Force Base, between Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach.
Feb. 25, 2020: Just ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic, a crocodile, estimated to be 8- to 10-feet-long, was spotted on a dock in Indialantic.
March 3, 2020: There was another sighting of the reptile. Sara Sutton, then 18, hopped on a kayak to get a closer look: “He likes to bask at certain times of the day," Sutton, a 2019 graduate of Melbourne Central Catholic, told FLORIDA TODAY.
November 2022: Tiara Weethee spent an hour hanging around the beach at sunset − and words can hardly describe what she saw. Weethee found an American crocodile getting lapped up by waves on the beach south of Sebastian Inlet by McLarty Treasure Museum in Florida. Sebastian Inlet is just past Melbourne Beach and is on the border of Brevard County and Indian River County, or the Space Coast and the Treasure Coast. At first, Weethee thought it was an alligator in the shallow waters needing help to get back into freshwater. Once she realized it was a crocodile − this one without a tracking device − she kept her distance and filmed it on her phone. "I won't probably ever get to see this again in my life. I'm going to hang out until the sun is gone," she said in her video (see above), which has gotten thousands of views on YouTube andTikTok.
Dec. 4, 2022: Pedro Tellez, a land management technician with Brevard's Environmentally Endangered Lands Program, saw an 8-foot crocodile hanging out on the dunes near the county's Barrier Island Sanctuary in Melbourne Beach.
April 16, 2023: Ian Gronosky, a commercial drone pilot, posted a video of a crocodile swimming in his backyard in Melbourne Beach (see above video). His caption states: "The American Crocodile. (Yes, in our backyard) He is 9 feet long. He was born in Key Largo and is 16 years old. When he was a juvenile, he was hit twice by cars back to back and spent some time in rehab before being released. Since being released, he traveled from Key Largo over the years and ended up on our beachside around December this last year (2022). FWC said he got pretty beat up when trying to live in the ocean and ended up being captured, had a transmitter added and released in Archie Carr." Information from FWC, via Joy Gilbert.
May 9, 2023: An American crocodile was spotted in Melbourne Beach, according to the town's police department. On May 9, Melbourne Beach Police posted photos of the crocodile and warned people not to feed the reptile, according to its Facebook page: "Florida Fish and Wildlifeis aware of this croc hanging around Sixth Avenue River Access and the Key Streets. They (estimate) his age to be about 10 years old. ... This crocodile has been tagged with a telemetry unit to track him. There are less than 12 statewide that are wearing this unit. They picked him because he's one of the northernmost American crocodiles, and they want to follow where he goes in the winter. He is federally protected, so please do not mess with or feed him; it is a felony."
May 18, 2023: Satellite Beach police posted about a crocodile encounter on its Facebook page: "Earlier today we received a call from a resident about a 'crocodile' that mysteriously appeared in his driveway. Our patrol units arrived just as the endangered American Crocodile took refuge in the culvert drainpipe. Our officers swiftly issued a trespass warning 🤣 and called in our partners at FWC for an assist. TheFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissionsent trappers out to safely trap and relocate the 9-foot croc that was tagged with a tracking device. It was a happy ending for the croc, and just another eventful day for the SBPD!"
June 27, 2023: A Facebook post showed acrocodile was spotted in the canalbetween Kenwood Court and Cinnamon in Satellite Beach.
June 30, 2023: A Satellite Beach community Facebook pageposted photos of a crocodile and a map of the sighting: "Crocodile Spotted This Week In Satellite Beach … One of several in our area this year − This one spotted off Samson Island and also South Near Desoto Park."
July 31, 2023: According to an Aug. 1, 2023, story in FLORIDA TODAY, Florida Fish and Wildlife officials warned Brevard County residents to be on alert after a crocodile was spotted carrying away a pet dog near Tortoise Island. The incident was reported to Satellite Beach Police. "The statewide nuisance alligator program received a call yesterday about a video of the incident," Kristen Turner, spokesperson for Florida Fish and Wildlife said in a 2023 email to FLORIDA TODAY. The claim was then forwarded to the agency's crocodile team. Agents searched for the missing dog and crocodile at the site, but neither was found. A resident reported on Facebook seeing a crocodile swim along a canal with a medium-sized pug in its mouth, Satellite Beach officials reported. Crocodile warning signs were posted near the area days later.
Oct. 1, 2023: A9-foot crocodile was spottedhanging around the east bank of the Indian River in Indialantic. Cam McKegg of Indialantic shared video of the reptile with FLORIDA TODAY: "We have not seen this croc before, but had seen the one with the white tracker," McKegg said via email. "My wife (Meg) and I have three French bulldogs so we are now taking extra precautions when we let them out in the yard. Also, occasionally we see long distance swimmers in the river and (are) concerned they are not aware there is a large predator in the river."
Oct. 13, 2023: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission relocated the Melbourne Beach crocodile. In a June 4, 2024, news report (see below), the FWC released a statement about the Melbourne Beach crocodile: "The crocodile that the FWC relocated on Oct. 13, 2023, was recently seen again in Brevard County. This particular crocodile has traveled over 100 miles during the course of eight months to return to Brevard County, indicating that it prefers this area ... To date, this animal has not displayed any concerning behaviors and is not considered to be a threat."
June 4, 2024: According to a Fox 35 Orlando story, the Franco family of Indialantic spotted a crocodile hanging out by their boat and got a little too close for comfort to the family dog, Loki. "Crocodiles aren't anything to play with. You see it. You should go the other direction. He's probably getting very desensitized to humans, so there's really not a lot of fear," Adam Franco, who filmed the "Melbourne Beach crocodile" encounter, told Fox 35. In the June 2024 report, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released a statement about the Melbourne Beach crocodile: "The crocodile that the FWC relocated on Oct. 13, 2023, was recently seen again in Brevard County. This particular crocodile has traveled over 100 miles during the course of eight months to return to Brevard County, indicating that it prefers this area ... To date, this animal has not displayed any concerning behaviors and is not considered to be a threat."
Whom to call if you see a crocodile in your yard
If you're concerned about a crocodile, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation and Commission at 866-392-4286, and a FWC crocodile response agent will respond.
Contributing: JD Gallop andJim Waymer, FLORIDA TODAY
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her onTwitteror Instagram at@byjensangalang. Support local journalism.Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Melbourne Beach crocodile travels 100 miles in 8 months to come back
