The half-eaten remains of a man have been found lying beside an 11ft alligator in Florida.
Police were called to the horrifying scene after being contacted by a local worker in Polk County last Thursday.
By the time officers arrived the gator had already let go but was still nearby, local news station WFLA reported.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office told the station the man’s body was found in a canal at around 7:45 a.m.
Officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to assist.
The gator was shot and killed by FWC and taken to the Medical Examiner’s Office along with the man’s body, officials said.
They will now examine the contents of the alligator’s stomach.
“It’s a large alligator. It was 11 foot, 10 inches long and it weighed approximately 449 pounds,” Ashley Tyer, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, told the station.
A Polk County Sheriff’s Office spokesman added that it is possible the man died several days ago.
The gator had “disengaged” from the body by the time officials responded, according to the sheriff’s office.
“The body does look like it had something happen to it related to the alligator,” Carrie Horstman, with PCSO told the channel.
“We’re really not at liberty to say much right now. It is possible that the alligator did something to this person either before or after his death.”
Investigators do not have any information on the cause of death at this early stage, a sheriff’s office spokesman said.
An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death, the man’s identity, and how long he was dead for.
A vehicle was towed away from the scene. Law enforcement is working to determine why the man was on the property.
