Monster Gator Spotted Walking Across Florida Golf Course
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While seeing crocodiles and alligators in Florida isn't exactly a rare occurrence, even locals have been left shocked after bearing witness to the sheer size of this one. Take a look for yourself:
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Posted online on Wednesday, the video shows the huge gator waddling its way across a golf course in Naples, Florida.
The footage was captured on the Valencia Golf and Country Club green, as the animal casually made its way across the grass before taking a dip in the water.
Many thought it was Photoshopped at first, owing to how ridiculously huge it is, but it was confirmed to be legit by Matt Devitt, a meteorologist with WINK News.
He said: "HUGE FLORIDA GATOR! Yep, this monster is real."
I'm still not convinced it's not a dinosaur, but I'll go with it, Matt.
There are more than 2 million alligators living in Florida, and they can grow up to 10 feet long.
Crocodiles are more rare, with 1,500 of the creatures reported to be living there - in fact, they are actually listed as endangered by the federal government.
The huge reptiles are not just native to Florida, of course - Australia is well known for its huge population of crocodiles.
In fact, rangers captured a 350kg (77lb) crocodile in a popular Northern Territory tourist spot - and it was so huge it was the size of a car.
Rangers trapped the 4.4m (14.5ft) saltwater crocodile in the Flora River at a remote nature park 75 miles from the town of Katherine, saying it's the biggest one they'd caught in years. (To put that into context, a Vauxhaull Astra measures 4.3m in length, according to buyacar.co.uk.)
Katherine senior wildlife ranger John Burke said they'd captured a larger 4.71m (15.5ft) crocodile three years ago in the same wildlife management zone, but that had been caught in the Katherine River, which is closer to the sea.
He added that he did not know of a larger crocodile to have been trapped in the Flora River, where this latest beast was found.
Speaking to ABC, Burke said: "Every couple of years we'll get a big one up around 4.5 to 4.7 metres, but most of the time the average length for the crocs we catch in the Katherine River is 3.6 metres.
"You've certainly got to respect him for what he is, and he's in good condition, too."
Burke added: "I certainly wouldn't want to run across him when I'm out fishing."
