Tag: gator

‘Legendary’ sighting as huge gator attempts to climb wall in Florida

The striking image was shared by news personalities, including one who jokingly cautioned residents to watch out for “climbing gators.”

Alligator sightings in Florida are fairly common, especially near wetlands.

But when the prehistoric-looking reptiles begin to scale walls in residential areas, it might seem like cause for alarm.

The accompanying image, captured by Belynda Blyth in Englewood, shows a large gator attempting to climb over a wall near a busy road.

As some remarked via social media, the gator also seems to be heeding advice written on the sign.

“Meanwhile in Florida. Spotted in Englewood. Watch for climbing gators too,” WINK News meteorologist Matt Devitt warned Wednesday via  Facebook.

The image was subsequently shared by others in the news business, including NBC2 reporter Gina Tomlinson, who remarked, “This is LEGENDARY. Gators are now climbing walls and it’s not even AI.”

The striking image, presumably genuine, is just another example of how gators make news in Florida.

Their presence just about anywhere is not surprising, given that they exist in all 67 Florida counties.

While most Floridians safely coexist with alligators, painful or deadly conflicts occur.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee (FWC), about five people per year suffer alligator bites. Since 1948, 22 people in Florida have been killed by alligators.

The state receives hundreds of complaints each year regarding alligators showing in unwanted places, and that’s often bad news for gators. The state permits the killing of up to 7,000 “nuisance alligators” each year.

Here’s hoping the wall-climbing Englewood gator made it safely back into watery seclusion.

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.”

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

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.

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

Watch: Frightened angler chased from pond by ‘hungry’ alligator

A Florida news station has shared footage showing an alligator emerging from a pond and chasing an angler who had briefly turned his back on the reptile.

A Florida news station has shared footage showing an alligator chasing a frightened angler who had briefly turned his back on the reptile.

“Never turn your back on a hungry gator!” Matt Devitt of WINK Weather advised on Facebook.

RELATED: Florida gator tears through metal fence with alarming ease; video

The video clip is short and it was not clear how far the angler ran or what inspired the gator to chase him.

“Clear evidence the gator has been fed by humans,” one person suggested in the comments. “A truly wild gator would shy away from humans.”

Because the clip cuts off without a proper ending, another person remarked: “We need a Part 2.”

MORE: Can you spot the hidden animal in these 14 photos?

Watch: Alligator shows python who rules the Everglades

A Florida resident has captured footage showing an alligator devouring a large python after what appears to have been a lopsided battle.

A Florida resident has captured footage showing an alligator attempting to devour a large python after what appears to have been a lopsided battle.

The graphic footage was shared recently by Katina Boychew under the heading: Gator vs Python.

It was also a battle between a native species (American alligator) and a highly invasive species (Burmese python).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Katina Boychew (@katina86)

So it must have pleased Floridians to see the gator dispatching the python, at times thrashing its rival, so thoroughly.

As Sage Marshall described this week in Field & Stream: “… The gator then proceeds to gulp down part of the giant snake in a way that reminds me of Joey Chestnut eating hot dogs on the 4th of July.”

The one-sided result should not come as a surprise, given the weight advantage enjoyed by gators.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the heaviest alligator recorded in the state weighed 1,043 pounds.

The state-record python weighed 215 pounds.

MORE: Can you spot the hidden animal in these 14 photos?

 

Watch: Giant alligator disrupts play at Florida golf course

A Florida news station has shared video footage showing a massive alligator disrupting practice on a golf course and hissing at players riding in a cart.

A Florida news station has shared video footage showing a massive alligator disrupting practice on a golf course and hissing at players riding in a cart.

“Huge Florida Gator! We do golf a little different,” Matt Devitt, chief meteorologist at WINK News, stated Sunday via Twitter. “Check out this big guy playing through at a Florida course!”

The footage, credited to Dalton Mehrl, shows the alligator trampling a bin of practice balls. The gator then hisses from a cart path as golfers in a cart approach too closely.

“He’s angry,” one of the golfers observes, repeatedly, as the group backs away.

RELATED: Watch as Florida gator tears through metal fence with alarming ease

The footage also shows the gator slow-stepping across the practice area before seemingly pausing to nap.

The size of the reptile is unclear but for those who might wonder: The Florida length record for alligators is 14 feet, 3-1/2 inches. The weight record (involving a different gator) is 1,043 pounds.

Deputy responds to alligator call, reaction goes viral

A Florida sheriff’s deputy has gained notoriety because of his comical reaction during a close alligator encounter at a neighborhood pool.

A Florida sheriff’s deputy has gained notoriety because of his comical reaction during a close alligator encounter at a neighborhood pool.

“When working as a Deputy Sheriff for the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office there is never a dull moment!” the agency exclaimed Tuesday on Facebook. “Just ask Deputy Robert Santiago who earlier today responded to a call where an 8-foot alligator decided to try out the neighbor’s swimming pool!”

Santiago is standing next to Scott Swartley, a trapper contracted by the Sheriff’s Office to handle the tricky aspects of removing the angry reptile.

RELATED: Florida gator tears through metal fence with alarming ease; video

“I would love to know exactly what Deputy Santiago was thinking but I’m pretty sure it was…”Oh hell no I didn’t sign up for this!” the Sheriff’s Office continued.

More than 500 people responded to a request for captions. A sampling:

–“That’s what they call a rough day at work! We don’t appreciate our law enforcement officers enough. They never know what they’re going to face.”

–“They never showed me this in the academy.”

–“Bad gator, bad gator……whatcha gonna do? Brevard County Sheriffs are coming for you!”

–“I’m going to need to go home and change my uniform!”

–“If I stand perfectly still, he will think I’m a tree and leave me alone.”

–“He looks like he saw a box of Krispy Creme doughnuts on the guy’s patio table.”

Florida is home to 1.3 million alligators, which can be found in all 67 counties. Like many critters, they increase activity during spring.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the longest alligator recorded in Florida was a male from Lake Washington in Brevard County, measuring 14 feet, 3-1/2 inches.

The heaviest was a 1,043-pound male captured at Orange Lake in Alachua County.