An orange alligator in South Carolina is being called the “Trumpagator” after being spotted at a pond in Hanahan, located near Charleston.
Kent A. Vliet, a University of Florida biologist, told Charleston’s Post and Courier newspaper that the mysterious orange color is likely a temporary thing.
“I have no doubt that animal is stained somehow,” Vliet said. “He’s the color of rust.”
Gators typically shed their skin, so the orange color is expected to eventually peel.
“It’ll either wash off or leach off in the water,” Vilet said, according to the Post and Courier.
Some Facebook users in the area made jokes about the critter, saying the gator’s color change came from too much “self-tanning lotion,” considering the area it was found in is called Tanner Plantation, CNET noted.
“I guess he used too much self tanner?!?!” a Facebook user said, according to the Post and Courier.
“It’s the Trumpagator of Self-Tanner Plantation,” another resident wrote on Facebook.
Herpetologist Josh Zalabak told WCBD-TV that the gator's color likely was caused by something in the environment.
"It's a beautiful looking animal but it's definitely not a natural color for an alligator. Probably chalk it up to some kind of environmental factor like algae, maybe even some pollutant in the water, but it’s hard to say," Zalabak told the station.
According to boredpanda.com, President Donald Trump has been compared to things like corn, a troll doll, a caterpillar, a bird, a rabbit, and an orange; among other things.
Twitter users shared reactions to the orange alligator.