Why did the alligator cross the road?

This must be the question of several Florida residents who saw a law-abiding alligator crossing an intersection in the Sunshine State, temporarily stopping traffic as it went by its business.

And it didn't just cross the street like any rascal. The 5-foot-long reptile actually used the crosswalk to get to the other side.

Mark Olson, a Citizens Observer Program member of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office (FCSO), caught the surprising Monday morning scene and took a photo, which immediately became viral. In the picture shared on the Facebook account of the sheriff's office, Corporal Kenny Goncalves (left) and Deputy Jonathan Duenas are seen stopping the traffic to allow the gator to cross.

The quite legendary moment took all but 30 seconds, causing no disturbance to anyone on that Monday morning.

Goncalves said the alligator just walked in the crosswalk "like it was normal."

The photo has now more than 3,000 shares and 1,500 likes on the social networking site.

An initial call for a trapper from the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was canceled after the alligator--who was seen sitting by the crosswalk at first--went to a wooded area on the other side of the road and back to its natural habitat.

Yahoo! News reported that the police believe the gator went to a water source near its home.

Authorities also said an alligator crossing is a new sight, as turtles and armadillos are more commonly seen crossing streets and intersections.

Olson said, "It was a real wake-up call to be real careful about these animals."

Alligator sightings in Florida are fairly common. Recently, a gigantic alligator was seen casually walking across a golf course, giving those who witnessed its stroll a somewhat "Jurassic Park" experience.

In a more morbid incident, another gator was also recently spotted devouring a man's body. The reptile dropped the still unidentified remains before it scurried away.

The American alligator is the official reptile of Florida.

After this Monday incident, here's hoping the residents on two feet will follow this law-abiding gator's example and cross the road the right way, too.

"I was going to say, he knows the traffic laws better than most Floridians. I guess he didn't want a ticket for jaywalking," commented one Facebook user on the photo.