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.