Orange gator must be a dye job, Fla. officials say

[January 08, 2011]  VENICE, Fla. (AP) -- An orange alligator photographed in South Florida is raising questions about its bizarre pigment.

Sylvia Mythen snapped the photo of the gator sunning beside a neighborhood canal in Venice.

The picture ran on TV after she shot it Wednesday and caused a buzz.

Experts with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have scrutinized the photo and say the color is not genetic. They believe the gator was somehow covered in paint or an orange substance.

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Information from: Sarasota Herald-Tribune, http://www.herald-trib.com/

[Associated Press]

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