Tourist has arm bitten off by crocodile when urinating in a popular Mexican lagoon

Cal Monzon isn't the first tourist to be attacked by a crocodile at Nichupté Lagoon. Photo/News Corp Australia

This is why you should always pay attention to signs.

An American tourist has had his armed ripped off by a crocodile while relieving himself at a popular tourist destination while on holiday.

Cal Monzon, 40, was on holiday in Cancun, Mexico when after a boozy night he decided to stroll down to Nichupté Lagoon, a tourist hotspot in the southeastern Mexican state of Quintana Roo, to urinate, the local Riviera Maya News reported.

An on-duty security guard heard screams from the lagoon about 3:30am on Sunday morning and found the grisly scene. A crocodile had grabbed Monzon's right arm above the elbow and had completely severed it.

Paramedics arrived and attended to the tourist, who was then taken to a private hospital where staff confirmed the remainder of his arm had to be amputated due to the severity of the injury, Riviera Maya News reported.

Despite a number of signs around the lagoon warning people about the estimated 150 crocodiles in residence there, there are several crocodile attacks in Nichupté every year.

In 2015, a man died after being dragged to the bottom of the Nichupté Lagoon by a crocodile, when he went for a dip while intoxicated. His body was found the next day floating in the lagoon.