Giant Alligator Strolls Down Tamiami Trail

“Snaggletooth” is back on the prowl.

The massive Florida alligator was spotted strutting down Tamiami Trail, a two-lane roadway that cuts through the Florida Everglades. Carol Gowing, an employee at Big Cypress Gallery Adventures, captured cellphone video of the roughly 10-foot-long creature and posted it on Facebook Wednesday. The video garnered nearly 7,000 shares and over 450,000 views in 24 hours.

Snaggletooth, "a dominant bull alligator," is an annual visitor at Big Cypress and was out looking for a mate, according to the Facebook page. Alligators typically begin the courtship process in April and mating season occurs in May or June, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 

Apparently, Snaggletooth had his eyes set on one particular female gator: “Big Momma.”

"Big Momma" is a female gator who lives in the area and recently had 32 babies, Gowing wrote in the Facebook post, noting Snaggletooth's mate has more on the way.

"She has chosen him as her mate, and as he approaches her territory, he gently and softly growls. Those who watch and experience their behavior together believe these sounds to be a part of their unique courtship, something that ties them together for this season," Gowing said.

CORRECTION (June 1, 2017, 12 p.m. ET):An earlier version of this story misspelled Carol Gowing's surname.

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