Tag: Alligator

Giant gator saunters across Florida golf course in ‘Jurassic’ moment

Footage shows the colossal reptile in a purposeful stride, causing meteorologist Matt Devitt to remark, “I’d let him play through.”

Alligator sightings occur fairly routinely in and near water on Florida golf courses. Less common is the sight of a giant gator strolling across a fairway in broad daylight.

The accompanying footage was shared Wednesday by WINK News chief meteorologist Matt Devitt, who stated via X:

“Welcome to Jurassic Park. Massive Florida gator spotted Monday at this golf course in Rotonda from a WINK News viewer. I’d let him play through.”

It’s not the first time Devitt has referenced ‘Jurassic Park’ in video clips he received from viewers.

In February 2023, Devitt shared an image showing a truly massive gator gazing ominously toward the photographer from a different golf course.

“Welcome to Florida, home to Jurassic Park,” Devitt wrote on Facebook.

Any alligator measuring 10-plus feet is huge.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the state length record is 14 feet, 3-1/2 inches (Lake Washington, Brevard County).

The weight record, for a different alligator, is 1,043 pounds (Orange Lake, Alachua County.)

Not everybody was impressed by Devitt’s video post on Wednesday.

One follower commented, “That’s pretty much an every day occurrence somewhere in Florida. Only non-Floridians even find it noteworthy.”

Massive alligator snags helpless snapping turtle in its jaws on Florida golf course

“Like a gun going off,” Yarborough said.

Not far from where Casey Yarborough was playing golf on Wednesday, he said he heard a loud pop.

“Like a gun going off,” Yarborough said.

Yarborough, who lives in Fort Myers, Florida, was on a fairway and the sound came from the other side of a pond along the golf course in Naples. It was about 5 p.m. When he drove up to the next hole he saw what it was.

“It looked like about a 50-pound snapping turtle,” he said.

The turtle was caught in the massive jaws of what Yarborough estimated was 14-foot-long alligator. The pop he heard was the Alligator’s teeth connecting with the turtle’s hard shell. Florida is filled with incredible wildlife moments on a daily basis. This was one of them and Yarborough, 52, pulled out his cellphone and took some memorable photos.

An alligator, estimated to be 14-feet long, clasps onto a snapping turtle with its jaws at a Naples, Florida area golf course on March 20, 2024. (Photo: Casey Yarborough/Special to naplesnews.com)

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) website, American Alligators eat rough fish, snakes, turtles, small mammals, and birds. “Alligators are opportunistic feeders,” the website states. “Their diets include prey species that are abundant and easily accessible.”

They can also leave an impression on someone like Yarborough, who admitted there was a time when he was known to water ski over alligators.

“But now I might think twice,” he said.

Tennessee bass angler lands alligator in rarest of catches

Justin Wyrick caught the gator in a part of Tennessee where the reptiles are not known to exist.

The extraordinary catch Monday of an alligator at an East Tennessee lake has piqued the interest of state biologists.

Justin Wyrick hooked the alligator while casting a jig for bass at Norris Lake. The toothy critter measured 3-plus feet.

According to the Volunteer Times, Wyrick’s brother Tyler helped Justin get the gator safely on shore.

The catch was so rare that a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officer biologist arrived to confirm the species and deliver the gator to the Little Ponderosa Zoo.

Alligators are not native to Tennessee and sightings in East Tennessee are exceedingly rare. (The gator caught by Wyrick might have been an illegal pet released into the waterway.)

However, the TWRA states on its website that alligators are expanding into Southwest Tennessee from neighboring southern states.

In recent years, the agency explained, several confirmed sightings have been recorded. One of the gators, caught on video at the Wolf River Wildlife Management Area, measured 7 feet.

“Alligators expanding into Tennessee is just another species that we must learn to coexist with like many of the other southern states,” the TWRA website states. “Alligators can survive Tennessee winters by going into a hibernation-like dormancy called brumation.”

The agency added: “TWRA would like to remind everyone that possessing or releasing alligators in Tennessee is illegal and poses safety and ecological risks as well as alligators are a protected species and catching or shooting one is a violation of the law.

“If you come across one while exploring the outdoors in West TN, leave it alone and enjoy Tennessee’s unique biodiversity.”

–Image showing Justin Wyrick with the alligator is courtesy of Patricia Goins

Wildlife officer thought angler was joking when reporting a rare catch

Justin Wyrick was fishing with a swimbait at a Tennessee lake when he made the catch of a lifetime, only it wasn’t what he was targeting.

Justin Wyrick was fishing with a swimbait at Tennessee’s Norris Lake when he made the catch of a lifetime, only it wasn’t what he was targeting.

What Wyrick surprisingly reeled in Monday around 5 p.m. was an alligator measuring 3- to 4-feet long, as reported by KnoxNews and WATE.

When Wyrick or his fishing companion (possibly his father) called the catch into the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the wildlife officer at the end of the line questioned the legitimacy of the catch.

“He thought the guy was joking,” TWRA spokesman Matthew Cameron told KnoxNews.

But when wildlife officer Rick Roberts arrived on the scene, there was Wyrick pinning the alligator to the ground as he held it behind the head.

“We’re not sure how it got there,” Cameron told KnoxNews. “It did not get there on its own.”

The speculation is that the alligator was a former pet that had been illegally released. Cameron estimated the reptile to be 3 to 4 years old, since they grow about a foot a year.

“Are there gonna be alligators out there? Probably not,” Cameron told WATE. “But once again, it’s possible that someone could have captured another one, brought it into Tennessee illegally and then released it illegally into the water.

“We don’t think it’s something that the public needs to be overly concerned about, but you know, obviously you need to be aware of your surroundings, very similar with other wildlife, just you know what’s out there. If someone were to see another one, don’t approach it, call us. We’ll come and try to capture it and get it somewhere that it is supposed to be.”

KnoxNews reported that alligators are naturally expanding their range into Tennessee from the southern border states, but they are not likely to be found in East Tennessee.

“This is not good alligator habitat,” Cameron told KnoxNews. “They love swampy land and warm water…The winters here get extremely cold…and they don’t prefer deep, clear water. I suppose it could survive here, but it would not be a great habitat for an alligator to thrive in.”

The alligator was taken to the Little Ponderosa Zoo, a rescue facility outside Clinton, until a permanent residence can be found.

As for what Wyrick was fishing for, we can only speculate that it was bass, but we know for certain he wasn’t targeting alligators.

Norris Lake photo courtesy of Wikipedia; photos of Justin Wyrick holding his catch courtesy of Patricia Goins; photo of alligator courtesy of Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Watch: Massive alligator lunges at golfers along cart path in Florida

Alligators are no strangers to Florida and have often been spotted in swimming pools and even on porches.

A golf cart driver got the shock of a lifetime when he almost ran over an alligator that instantly expressed its displeasure over the encounter.

A homeowner in the community caught the whole thing on video.

Denise Prues had spotted the alligator walking between two homes toward a pond behind the houses when the encounter took place.

Alligators are no strangers to Florida and have often been spotted in swimming pools and even on porches.

In February 2023, an 85-year-old woman on Florida’s East Coast was killed by an alligator that attacked her and her dog from a community pond not that different from the recent encounter.

Prues heard a noise in her side yard before she spotted an alligator Feb. 16 walking between two homes in Ave Maria, which is near Fort Myers, heading toward a pond behind the homes.

Between the homes and the pond was a path used by golf carts.

One driver apparently never spotted the alligator.

The second wasn’t so lucky.

The video shows the gator picking up speed as it neared the path, right in front of the golf cart. The driver quickly swerved to miss the alligator, which lunged at the cart.

Prues could be heard behind the camera saying, “Oh my god!”

Cheeky? Responses to gator and golf cart video, even from UK

“Heart-stopping moment alligator lunges toward cart on Florida golf course leaving driver heading for a pond as he veers off path,” was the United Kingdom’s Daily Mail’s headline.

“The alligator can be seen cheekily running up to the cart, before taking a snap dangerously close to the passenger as the vehicle makes its way past the stretch of water.”

“Ah, Florida. The land of freedom, tropical vibes … and alligators who won’t hesitate to take a chomp out of you,” said the Daily Caller.

Living with alligators in Florida

Although the exact alligator population is unknown, the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates there are about 1.3 million alligators of every size in Florida.

Alligators can be found in all 67 counties in Florida.

Alligators are opportunistic feeders and will eat any animal that is readily available. They prefer to go after prey they can overpower easily, the FWC said.

Giant ‘infamous’ gator spotted on the move in Florida; video

Recent footage shows the normally elusive gator, named, Fabio crossing a trail in broad daylight at Circle B Bar Reserve. “I was in awe.”

Florida is home to more than 1 million alligators, but there’s only one Fabio, a giant among giants in the Circle B Bar Reserve wetlands in Polk County.

The accompanying footage, captured Saturday by Ken Bergquist and shared by WINK News, shows Fabio traversing a trail while being photographed by onlookers.

“Fabio the infamous wild alligator was seen strolling through the Circle B Bar Reserve near Lakeland, Florida this past weekend,” WINK meteorologist Nash Rhodes boasted on Facebook.

While Fabio sightings might not be uncommon, it’s apparently rare to glimpse the reptile fully out of the water and on the move in broad daylight.

Bergquist, a regular at the reserve, told the Miami Herald that until Saturday he had only caught glimpses of a motionless Fabio basking in the sun.

“I’ve seen many [others] cross trails, but never a really huge one,” Bergquist said. “I was in awe.”

Bergquist said Fabio, who was named by locals, measures at least 12 feet. He’s believed to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest alligator in the reserve.

For comparison, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the longest alligator documented in Florida measured 14 feet, 3-1/2 inches.

The weight record, for a different gator, is 1,043 pounds.

The Circle B Bar Reserve is a 1,267-acre parcel of restored and protected wetlands near Lakeland.

‘Massive’ gator caught near Christmas shoppers at Florida mall

Authorities relocated the 12-foot, 600-pound gator to an area where it posed less of a threat to human safety.

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.

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.

This Florida golf course is known for massive alligators, but that didn’t stop a black belt

Over the years, several people have taken photos of the alligators and posted them on Facebook.


Kurt Tezel has demonstrated karate in very unique places: in front of pyramids in Egypt, on board the USS Intrepid in New York and on a golf course in Cocoa Beach, Florida − in front of a 14-foot alligator about 20 feet away.

Now that’s what some in the martial arts world might call “warrior spirit.”

The sixth-degree black belt, who trains weekly at Ueshiro Merritt Island Karate Dojo on SR 520, was recently playing a round of golf at the Cocoa Beach Country Club last month when he noticed a large alligator hanging out on the bank and another one nearby. In a very so Florida move, he captured the moment on camera. He put his golf club aside and performed a kata (a series of movements in karate).

“You can’t play out there without seeing some alligators,” he said of the golf course. “They chill out on the bank, once in a while you’ll see one walking.”

The video, less than a minute long, shows Tezel in golf wear on the green, demonstrating karate moves in front of a large unassuming alligator, and then ending the kata with a bow. The video then zooms in to show the familiar scaly tail of a large animal. Tezel estimates the gator was up to 14 feet long, and he was about 20 feet away from it. He said there was another alligator nearby, but it’s not easily seen on the video, which was shot by his wife, Tricia Tezel.

Kurt Tezel, president of Supra Color Enterprises Inc. and longtime resident of Brevard, first Merritt Island, then Cocoa Beach, has trained in karate for more than 20 years and holds the rank of Sensei. Had one of the alligators stirred or showed any kind of movement as he did his kata, his instincts as a Floridian would have kicked in: “Run zigzag, run serpentine.” He also was mindful of his wife’s reaction as she filmed the alligator-karate scene.

The Cocoa Beach Country Club is transparent about the possibility of seeing alligators there − so says a notice on the city of Cocoa Beach’s website online: “Wildlife: The waterfowl, other birds, the dolphins, alligators, turtles and raccoons make the Cocoa Beach Country Club a true habitat and wildlife sanctuary for the enjoyment of all golfers. Course features include putting greens, a driving range and a ’19th hole’ where you can get a bite to eat, a beverage of your choice and reminisce over the great golf shots you just made! The CBCC also features banquet facilities at reasonable prices to host those special gatherings and celebrations.”

Over the years, several people have taken photos of the alligators at the Cocoa Beach Country Club and posted them on Facebook. Scroll to see social media photos, some possibly featuring the same 14-foot alligator, from the Cocoa Beach Country Club golf course.

Safety tips: What to do if you see an alligator?

Though Florida residents have learned to coexist with alligators, the potential for conflict always exists, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The wildlife commission recommends people avoid feeding alligators and to keep your distance if you see one. “Swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours. And keep pets on a leash and away from the water,” FWC’s site states.

Serious injuries caused by alligators are rare here, but if you are concerned about a gator, call the nuisance alligator hotline at 866-392-4286 or visit myfwc.com.

Alligator sightings at Cocoa Beach Country Club golf course in Florida
Over the years, there have been sightings of alligators large and small at the Cocoa Beach Country Club. Signs warn about critters on the golf course, saying: “Caution. Beware of alligators, snakes.”

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Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. She is a third-degree black belt in Ueshiro Shorin-Ryu Karate USA and trains in Melbourne, Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang.

Footage shows large Florida gator trying ‘to climb up a house’

A home security camera has captured nighttime footage showing an alligator attempting to climb the outside wall of a Florida residence.

A security camera on Monday captured nighttime footage showing a large alligator attempting to climb the outside wall of a Florida residence.

Matt Devitt, chief meteorologist at WINK News, stated via X that the attempted break-in by the ‘huge Florida gator’ occurred in Babcock Ranch.

“That’s a new one!” Devitt observed.

 

The footage was credited to a WINK viewer named Kayla.

Devitt receives plenty of gator footage from viewers.

A haunting image he showcased last February showed a massive alligator sprawled on a golf course, gazing toward the photographer in what Devitt described as a “Jurassic’ moment.

In March Devitt shared footage of a large alligator tearing through a metal fence to with astonishing ease, although it was later revealed that the fencing was aluminum.

“Only in Florida,” Devitt wrote.

It’s not surprising that alligators occasionally generate headlines in Florida.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) states on its website that about 1.3 million alligators reside in the state, and that they inhabit all 67 counties.

–Generic alligator image is courtesy if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Alligator squeezes through backyard fence in defensive act

A man in Florida was shocked to find an alligator entering his backyard via a narrow fence, and captured it on video.

A man in Florida was shocked to find an alligator entering his backyard by squeezing through a narrow fence.

“It was incredible,” Bill Geiger Jr. told FOX 35 Orlando. “It caught me by surprise. I was shocked…I wasn’t really afraid of it; I was just wary of it.”

It didn’t take long for Geiger of Cocoa Beach to learn why the 6-foot alligator was breaking into his yard. The alligator had a nest in the yard that it was protecting, and it was in a full defensive mode, coming back into the yard to keep an eye out.

From FOX 35:

Geiger said he would love to leave the alligator to her own devices, but he has a one-year-old granddaughter who hasn’t been able to swim in his pool because of the gator, and his son hasn’t been able to bring over his dogs.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Boy fishing from pool noodle lands big bass, but it ends in heartbreak (video)

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said each gator nest has an average of 32 to 46 eggs, and Geiger isn’t willing to meet the whole family of babies once they hatch.

“I called FWC to find out what to do. They told me, ‘You’ve got to contact the city, you’ve got to do this, there’s a lot of red tape.’ Eventually, probably in a couple of days, they’re going to come out – I hope – remove the eggs, relocate the gator,” said Geiger.