Tired alligator displays big yawn in Florida neighborhood

SANIBEL, Fla. (FOX 13) - The large jaws of an alligator became very visible for a Florida resident, after she watched it yawn for the first time.

Vicki Reed tells FOX 13 she lives on a lake in Sanibel, Florida, but describes it as a wildlife sanctuary. Every day, she sits with her husband on their home’s deck - which is on stilts - in “amazement because of the variety of creatures that hang out every day here.” 

“My own wild kingdom,” she said. The day she witnessed the seemingly sleepy alligator was in January, but her video of the moment surfaced on social media this week. Vicki said the reptile was sunning himself nearby, and was also napping. 

“It was not scary at all to us,” she explained. “I would never call on any animal. Other people have told me if they get larger than 12 feet, they will then relocate. Like I said, we feel honored to witness nature in the raw.”

Vicki and her husband have seen their fair share of alligators in their own backyard. After this particular alligator yawned, she said it laid in the grass for several more minutes, before venturing back into the lake.