ADEL, Ga. — A photograph making rounds on Facebook purporting to show a monster alligator twice the size of a human being caught at Reed Bingham State Park in Cook County, Georgia caused some problems for park authorities.

The picture, tagged with the line “Be careful swimming in Reed Bingham,” is actually a photo of an African crocodile nowhere near North America, according to reptile expert Chet Powell. Powell, a herpetologist and former manager at Reed Bingham, said he started getting calls about the monster alligator photo Thursday.

The gigantic “alligator” in the photo traumatizing potential park goers and swimmers turned out to be a hoax, but it came just weeks after a fatal alligator attack in not too far away Orlando, Florida and sightings of gators at the Reed Bingham State Park.

The park had to close its swimming beach last week because of reports of six-foot-long alligators lurking too close for comfort. A trapper was called in and at least three alligators were captured and killed.

To someone who knows what to look for, Powell said, the photo was clearly not what the poster claimed.

“Adult alligators in South Georgia are solid black,” he said. “African crocodiles are greenish, like the creature in the picture.”

Crocodiles like the one in the photo have a pointed snout, while alligators are blunt-nosed, according to Powell.

Also, a man visible in the photograph is a well-known hunter in Mozambique, he said.

Whoever attached the photo to a false posting on Facebook may have meant it as a joke or as a means of waving for attention, but Powell said people aren’t taking it as a joke after the June 14 fatal alligator attack at Walt Disney World that killed a 2-year-old. 

Powell warned that it is always better not to mess with wildlife.

“It’s not a good idea, just going out and killing alligators out of fear,” said Powell, who now works with the Georgia Wildlife Rescue Association.

Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.