A Harlan County man found a gator frozen in his backyard Friday, according to officials with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.
They say the gator appears to have crawled out of the Clover Fork of the Cumberland River and died from the cold temperatures.
Officials believe the gator was probably someone's pet that had been dumped into the river.
Temperatures have been in the teens for lows this last week, according to the National Weather Service.
It is illegal to possess or transport alligators in Kentucky.