In 1978, Turkey Point workers found 1 crocodile nest when Florida had fewer than 300 left. 48 years later, about 400 live in its canals, turning a nuclear plant into an unlikely crocodile habitat

A nuclear power plant might seem like an unlikely place for a threatened species to recover. But at Turkey Point, south of Miami, an unexpected discovery in 1978 helped set the stage for a remarkable comeback.

A worker found a clutch of American crocodile eggs buried in a raised dirt bank beside one of the plant's cooling canals, as per a report. At the time, coastal development had destroyed much of the species' nesting habitat, and some estimates put the entire U.S. population at fewer than 300 animals, as per a Scienceblog report.