This is one of the things that makes Florida slightly different from some of the other states. A school bus in Lacoochee, Florida was taking some kids home from school last Thursday when a four-foot alligator crossed the road in front of them:

"Can we catch it? Can we catch it?" asked some of the 11 kids on board, according to Jimmie Scroggins, father of two riders.

[The bus driver] first said no, then changed her mind and pulled over.

Four boys ran off the bus, hopped a fence, chased the alligator into a mud hole, got it to clamp its teeth around a stick and wrapped its head with their shirts. A fifth boy happened to have a roll of electrical tape handy, which took care of keeping the reptile's jaws shut.

"It was the first thing that came into my head," said 14-year-old Jacob Scroggins when asked why he wanted to catch the gator.

After a 15-minute struggle, the boys triumphantly got back on the bus with their squirming, angry prize.

The bus driver has been suspended for letting the boys do it, and I guess I can't argue with that. But it's still kind of cool.