<p>PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE, Texas — A young alligator traced to the Louisiana bayous traded swamp scum for a sandy Padre Island beach in South Texas.</p>
<p>In an unusual spin from “Jaws,” the gator showed up Monday on Malaquite Beach, about 25 miles (40.23 kilometers) southeast of Corpus Christi, Padre Island National Seashore officials said <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nps.pais">in a Facebook post</a>.</p>
<p>National Park Service rangers found it and checked its tail notch and tags on its rear feet to determine it had come from Louisiana.</p>
<p>How it got to South Texas remains a mystery, but its spring break ended abruptly as rangers took it to a rehabilitation center to recover from its journey.</p>
<p>While alligators can tolerate saltwater for a few hours or even days, they are primarily freshwater reptiles living in swampy areas, rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/alligator.html">website</a>.</p>
