First it was horses, and now it's alligators that are turning up mutilated in South Florida.
Officials are puzzled after three skinned alligator carcasses missing their heads and tails reportedly washed up on beaches in Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach in the past two weeks, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
The latest gator carcass was spotted Tuesday on Fort Lauderdale beach near the inlet to Port Everglades. It had been mistaken for a dead sea turtle.
Since alligators are freshwater animals, finding them on saltwater beaches is unusual.
"They're skinned and their heads are missing," Lou Fisher, Broward County's sea turtle program coordinator, told the Sun-Sentinel. "I don't know where they're coming from."
Wildlife investigators were called in, but no further action is expected because the animal was probably legally taken.
