TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida wildlife officials are raising concerns about lead pollution after an American crocodile died of apparent lead poisoning.

A study published earlier this year documents a series of events, beginning with a crocodile nuisance call, that led scientists to believe the individual was the first in the state of Florida to die as a result of lead intake.

In November 2023, an officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to a complaint about a crocodile found in someone’s outdoor swimming pool in Miami-Dade County.

The 7-foot female was successfully captured, and researchers used the opportunity to attach a satellite transmitter as part of ongoing crocodile research, according to the study.

She was active and alert at first, but as they were finishing up, a “foul-smelling” liquid began coming from the crocodile’s nostrils, and it began to thrash violently.

The scientists finished their work, and the animal was released into a canal near where it was found at around 4:20 p.m. Less than two hours later, it was found dead.

A necropsy was performed in the field, and scientists discovered more than 22 grams of lead in its stomach. The lead was made up of 23 air rifle pellets, a fishing weight, and two small, unidentifiable lead fragments.

There were also four undigested green iguana claws in her stomach, leading researchers to believe that the air rifle pellets came from iguana corpses the crocodile scavenged.

Green iguanas are invasive in Florida and can be devastating to local ecosystems. Florida residents are allowed to humanely kill them to help manage the population, which the study said is often done with air rifles loaded with lead ammunition.

In addition to the contents of its stomach, scientists found other signs of lead toxicity, including tooth loss and black stains inside the animal’s mouth.

The study concludes that the elevated levels of lead reduced the overall health of the crocodile to such a degree that it was unable to survive the stress of the capture and satellite attachment, a procedure that’s been done thousands of times.

The first-of-its-kind case prompted FWC to conduct more sampling for lead and other contaminants among the state’s alligator and crocodile population.

While the state relies on residents for help managing Florida’s invasive iguana population, the study brings up the question of whether lead-based ammunition is doing more harm than good to the ecosystem.