Alligator Spotted in Lake Lanier

CUMMING, GA — Hey, Georgia ... meet the Lake Lanier Gator. Georgia wildlife officials say the small animal, believed to be between 2 1/2 and 3 feet long, has been seen as many as four times since July.

North Georgia is not considered a natural habitat for alligators. But the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has no plans to remove the displaced reptile from the busy lake.

"It presents very little threat to any person unless someone were to attempt to pick it up -- which we discourage -- as it would certainly try to defend itself," said DNR spokeswoman Melissa Cummings.

According to the Department of Natural Resources, there are roughly 200,000 American alligators in Georgia -- almost all of them living south of the "fall line" that connects Augusta, Macon and Columbus.

However, there have been multiple alligator sightings in metro Atlanta this year, from Cumming, to Gwinnett County to the Chattahoochee River.

Cummings said wildlife officials believe the Lake Lanier alligator was probably dumped by someone who obtained it, illegally, when it was smaller and dumped it into Lanier when it got too big to keep.

Between 1980-2007, there have been nine reported cases of alligator attacks on humans in Georgia, including one fatality in 2007.

Georgia Alligators in the News:

Two Alligators Spotted in Cumming

Alligator Spotted In Gwinnett

Video: Georgia Has A Giant Alligator, Too

Chattahoochee Gator Caught; Moving to Florida

Six of the incidents happened when a human stepped on or otherwise made contact with a submerged alligator, according to the DNR. The remaining three were the result of an alligator mistaking the human for prey.

Top photo of Lake Lanier by User: PBT1981, via Wikimedia Commons. Alligator photo courtesy Georgia Department of Natural Resources