'Dinosaur' alligator spotted in quiet street as panicked locals try to catch it

An alligator so huge that is has been likened to a dinosaur had to be removed with a tow truck after it snuck into an residential area.

The 'dinosaur' alligator' - believed to be over 12ft long - was spotted in the streets of Atascocita, Texas, US, in the early hours of September 19.

Officers were immediately called to the scene after stunned locals saw the gator patrolling the streets.

Residents took pictures of the beast, and he has since gone viral on Facebook after others were left shocked at the sheer size of him.

Once at the scene, officers from Harris County Constable Precinct 4 called an expert to deal with the monster.

A trapper was hauled in to do the job with a pick-up truck, and was able to retrain the gator.

The beast was too big of a job for one man, so a tow truck had to be called in to take it away (Jam Press)

However, the reptile's size alone was too big of a task for one man, so further help was called in.

Police were forced to call in a tow truck company to sweep the beast off its feet and onto the back of the vehicle.

Constable Mark Herman shared a picture of the dinosaur on his Facebook page. The post - which racked up over 1,300 likes and hundreds of comments - was captioned: "“See you later, alligator!"

The post then went on to say: “This morning, deputies with Constable Mark Herman's Office responded to the 13800 block of N Lake Branch Lane in the Waters Edge subdivision in Atascocita in reference to an 12 foot alligator in the middle of the road.

“The alligator has been safely captured and in Animal Control's possession.”

And users took to comment below the post, discussing just how shocked they are at the humungous reptile.

One person wrote: “So, we just have dinosaurs roaming neighbourhoods now?,” while another added: "That's a whole dinosaur!"

The alligator is not a rare sighting in Florida as experts say they are more active in spring and summer due to the heat (Jam Press)

And a third put: "OMG. I don’t know what I would do if I came upon a gator in the road."

And another joked: “He needs to go to Gator Country!”

While a fifth person who claims to have witnessed the alligator being picked up, said: “This alligator is actually 12ft 4in. I was there when they measured it."

This month, the state of Texas has been inundated with monster alligator sightings. Just last week, an 11-foot alligator was captured in Cinco Ranch.

Eyewitness Michael Schwab said the animal looked like a dinosaur and was a real “sight to see”.

He added: “He was thrashing around. He looked tired, but it was beginning stages of them removing him, and it was probably one of the craziest things I’ve seen animal wise.”

However, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife, despite several recent sightings of alligators in urban areas, officials have not noticed a boom in their population.

Local experts have added that the recent sightings may be because alligators are more active in spring and summer due to the heat. Similarly, when there is a drought in the area, such as earlier this summer, gators go in search of water.