Authorities in Florida have caught and relocated an enormous alligator after the reptile appeared near shoppers at a busy mall.
WINK News meteorologist Matt Devitt reported Friday via X:
“WOW! Massive 12 foot, 600 pound gator was just captured (and relocated) recently away from Christmas shoppers at the Coconut Point Mall in Estero, Florida. That’s a big boy!”
The image was credited to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
WOW! Massive 12 foot, 600 pound gator was just captured (and relocated) recently away from Christmas shoppers at the Coconut Point Mall in Estero, Florida. That’s a big boy! Credit: @SheriffLeeFL 🐊👀 @WINKNews #Florida #Gator pic.twitter.com/X67RnQ7WR5
— Matt Devitt (@MattDevittWX) December 22, 2023
While the alligator is huge, American alligators in Florida can be significantly larger.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s website, the state record for length is a 14-foot, 3-1/2-inch male from Lake Washington in Brevard County.
The weight record, also for a male gator, stands at 1,043 pounds.
Devitt commonly shares news about alligator encounters. One of his posts involved a powerful gator caught on video spreading the bars of a metal fence to access the other side.
