MELBOURNE BEACH, Florida – An American alligator made its way onto the beach in Melbourne, Beach, Florida on October 14, 2022.

The alligator’s beach trip was photographed by Kyle Hussey.

Although American alligators prefer freshwater destinations instead of saltwater environments, they sometimes wind up in the ocean.

Along Florida’s Intracoastal waterways and estuaries such as the Indian River Lagoon in Brevard County, the inlets to the oceans and narrow land boundaries often make the crossover easy for alligators.

In fact, a study conducted at Kennedy Space Center found that alligators eat sharks and sharks eat alligators in their shared habitats.

Although alligators don’t have salt glands like true crocodiles, they are resourceful as they travel between freshwater and marine habitats.