An alligator dined on fish in a Hilton Head creek. Could the saltwater kill it?

An alligator was caught enjoying a "fish buffet" outside of one of Hilton Head's newest restaurants Thursday afternoon.

While seeing a gator munch on fish isn't unusual in the Lowcountry, this gator was dining outside Skull Creek Dockside restaurant — in a saltwater creek.

Reggie Sanderson submitted video of the unusual sighting to The Island Packet. He says he thinks a fisherman dumped their bait after docking at Skull Creek.

"This gator showed up and made a buffet of it," Sanderson said. "Amazing it was in saltwater."

"I've never seen anything like it," someone can be heard saying in the video.

So why is spotting an alligator in saltwater so unusual?

Unlike crocodiles, American alligators lack sufficient salt glands, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo. This usually keeps them out of saltwater — or at least limits them to brief ventures into brackish waters.

But scientists say alligators are frequenting salty waters more often.

A study published earlier this year showed that alligators are gaining a greater tolerance for saltwater. They've been showing up on Carolina beaches for years.

Another study found that alligators eat multiple species of sharks and sting rays, Science News magazine reports. One gator was even caught munching on a small bonnethead shark off of Hilton Head.

Ecologist James Nifong told the science magazine that even though alligators prey on marine wildlife, because of their lack of salt glands, saltwater can dehydrate the reptiles which "can lead to stress and even death."

Shore Beach Services recently told The Island Packet that five to six alligators show up on Hilton Head beaches each year. The most recent sighting was in April, when an alligator possibly got lost after venturing into the surf and drew a crowd on the Sea Pines beach.

Those crowds can lead to the animals death.

An alligator had to be euthanized last year at Folly Beach near Charleston, S.C. because a crowd of people kept the timid gator from exiting the surf, WCIV reported.

This story was originally published June 8, 2018 at 2:21 PM with the headline "An alligator dined on fish in a Hilton Head creek. Could the saltwater kill it?."