Sleeping alligator holds up flights at Florida air base

The alligator rested near the wheels of a U S Air Force airplane (Picture: MacDill Air Force Base/SWNS)

A huge alligator appeared to fall asleep at the wheels of a plane and blocked flights in and out of a Florida air base.

The 10-foot-long gator crawled next to a four-wheel chock of the aircraft and lay down next to them and in between them in images shared by MacDill Air Force Base on Facebook on Monday morning.

‘Caption This!’ wrote the air force base in Tampa.

A couple hours later, the base shared a nearly minute-long video of the alligator, which had been disturbed from its resting state. Two Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials wrangled the reptile, one with a rope around its head and another with a rope around its tail.

The reptile rested in between the wheels of the plane (Picture: MacDill Air Force Base/SWNS)

Officials had draped a cloth around the gator’s head, which it flung off, and snapped at the female officer handling the rope around its neck. The officer worked to wrap the rope around the animal’s mouth to keep it shut.

The video cuts off, but the air base explained the rest of the episode.

‘Our newest toothy Airman has been relocated to a more suitable environment off base. Special thanks to FWC for the assist,’ wrote the base. ‘They think Elvis pushed this guy away from home… Happy Earth Day!’

Elvis is a larger alligator who has visited the area, according to FOX 13.

The alligator was removed by staff from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Picture: MacDill Air Force Base/SWNS)

The alligator stopped flights at MacDill Air Force Base (Picture: MacDill Air Force Base/SWNS)

The smaller gator was relocated to the Hillsborough River.

More than 300 Facebook users commented on the base’s initial post asking for captions for the creature.

‘Florida wheel chock,’ wrote one user.

Another joked: ‘The Chock-o-dile is a reptile often found under boat trailers, old cars, and occasionally flight lines…’

The alligator was relocated to Hillsborough River (Picture: MacDill Air Force Base/SWNS)

‘New movie coming out soon: Gators on Planes !’ commented another user.

The base applauded the users for ‘great captions’.

It is the latest incident involving alligators and planes in the Sunshine State.

In November, a pilot crashed his small plane into the Everglades and survived nine hours overnight in a gator-infested swamp before being rescued.

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