Given that only three alligators in Florida have ever officially been measured as longer than 14 ft., it is highly unlikely that the alligator on the golf course is 15 ft. long. My own educated guess is that the golf course gator is 12-13 ft. long.
Full Answer
How long is the alligator on the Florida golf course?
The recent one that was filmed walking across a golf course in Florida was widely reported as 15 ft. long, but nobody measured it so nobody knows how long it is in reality. Given that only three alligators in Florida have ever officially been measured as longer than 14 ft., it is highly unlikely that the alligator on the golf course is 15 ft. long.
Are there Big alligators in Florida?
We’ll be detailing the certified records for the biggest alligators in Florida, what we know about them, and how humans impact alligators. The American Alligator is only found in the Southeastern United States, in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, And North and South Carolina.
How big do alligators get?
Typically, full-grown alligators average between ten and fifteen feet (3 to 4.6 meters) in length, with most peaking around eleven feet (3.35 meters) in length. Males grow larger than females, with females rarely growing to be over ten feet (3 meters) in length.
How big is the alligator in the Buffalo Creek Golf Club video?
The size of the alligator featured in the footage at Buffalo Creek Golf Club is unknown, but Schofield estimated that the animal could be up to sixteen feet long. According to Yale ecologist and large predator expert Adam Rosenblatt, however, it’s probably not that large:
How big was the biggest alligator in Florida?
The record holder for heaviest alligator was a 13′-foot (4 meters) 10 ½-inch (26.7 centimeters) gator caught in Orange Lake. The beast was caught on April 17, 1989, and weighed a whopping 1,043 pounds (473 kilograms).
Has an alligator ever attacked a golfer?
Man retrieving golf balls is attacked by alligator in pond on Florida golf course. A man retrieving golf balls from a pond near the sixth hole of The Palms Course at Rotonda Golf & Country Club in Florida was attacked by an alligator Friday afternoon.
Do alligators live on golf courses?
Alligators living on golf courses are also known to fight one another. In May 2020, Matthew Proffitt filmed two huge alligators fighting on the fairway on a South Carolina course. Proffitt, who was playing at the Hilton Head Lakes golf course, said the fight went on for around two hours.
What is the largest alligator in captivity in Florida?
Big George, largest alligator in captivity 14 feet 7 inches–Greets you in Florida - Florida International University (FIU) Library Digital Collection Repository System (dPanther)
Do alligators eat golf balls?
Share All sharing options for: Giant gator eats golf ball after being hit in the head. Golf course gators, a Florida tradition like no other. Seeing an alligator in a water hazard isn't anything new, but few actually eat the golf ball like this one did.
Do Florida alligators eat people?
It's never a good idea to get purposefully close to an alligator, tempt, or provoke it in any way. However, alligator attacks are fairly rare—and they eat people even less commonly. Only a small fraction of attacks are deadly, and often the remains are found intact after an attack.
What golf course has the most alligators?
— There may not be an area golf course that is home to more native wildlife than TPC Myrtle Beach. Turkey, deer, squirrels and, yes, alligators are in abundance at the Tom Fazio beauty. If you want to see an alligator and a lot of other animals, TPC Myrtle Beach should be near the top of the list.
How many golfers are attacked by alligators?
One of 11 golfers bitten by alligators. One of 310 people bitten by an unprovoked alligator. One of 69 people bitten by an alligator known to have been fed. One of 43 bite victims between the ages of 61 and 70.
What to do if you see a gator while golfing?
As reported by KABB, the US Golf Association has rules in place for these types of bizarre instances, which they call "abnormal course conditions." Alligators are considered "dangerous animals" in the Association's rulebook, and as such, encountering one can qualify golfers for "relief." This "relief" can include ...
What city in Florida has the most alligators?
The largest population of gators live in Gainesville, FL. They live in freshwater rivers, lakes, swamps, and marshes. There are an estimated five million American alligators in the southeastern U.S. with a quarter of the alligator population in Florida.
How big is Maximo the alligator?
15 foot 3 inchCome face-to-face with impressive 15 foot 3 inch, 1,250-pound Maximo, the largest animal at The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. A saltwater crocodile, or “Saltie” as his species is called in Australia, Maximo hatched from an egg collected by aborigines along an Australian river bank.
What's the biggest alligator ever caught in the United States?
Though it was never caught, the largest alligator ever to have been found and recorded was in 1890 in Marsh Island, Louisiana. This Marsh Island alligator, who measured 19.2 feet and weighed in at 2,000 pounds, was killed in Vermilion Bay in Southern Louisiana.
Do golf courses have ponds?
Golf courses almost always have water features like ponds, which are "typically stocked with fish and offer great food resources.". So what do you do if you find yourself suddenly staring down a gator, whether it be on a golf course or elsewhere? Leave it alone, plain and simple.
Do alligators chase humans?
However, in general, alligators do not want anything to do with humans and will keep their distance.”. Alligators typically don’t give chase, but in the odd event you are being pursued by one, “run away in a straight line,” he advises.
Should alligators be fed?
" [Gators] are powerful animals that can pose a threat to humans, especially when they associate food with [us]," Nifong says. "This is why wild alligators should never be fed. However, in general, alligators do not want anything to do with humans and will keep their distance.”.
Do gators stop growing?
Nifong doesn't quite know the exact size of the viral gator, but reveals that gators actually never stop growing ; the bigger they are, the older they are. “Crocodilians (including alligators) display indeterminate growth and keep growing throughout their entire life," he says.
Florida Alligator Facts
The American Alligator is only found in the Southeastern United States, in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, And North and South Carolina.
10 Florida Alligators State Records
Trying to record records for the largest alligators is complicated. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission only recognizes records that have been measured and confirmed by state biologists.
Unofficial Captures of Largest Alligator in Florida
For a variety of reasons that we’ll explain later, there are plenty of alligators that are caught but not verified by the state. There are also plenty of eyewitness accounts that can’t be verified. Here is where we’ll discuss a few of those.
Why Are Some Possible Record Alligators Not Certified?
There are plenty of reasons why alligators aren’t certified by the FWC, and despite what some people think that doesn’t mean the numbers were exaggerated or it was a hoax.
Could There Be Bigger Alligators Out There?
There could always be bigger gators out there. We know from keeping captive alligators that with enough food and space they can reach sizes of around fifteen feet (4.5 meters). In the wild, the chances are really slim, however, a literal freak of nature gator could feasibly get to sizes over fifteen feet (4.5 meters).
Legends of Giant Alligators in Florida
The records for alligator sizes in Florida only go back to the 1980s, mostly because that’s when harvesting programs were implemented by the FWC. Legends and stories of massive alligators go back for centuries, from Native American legends to sightings by field scientists.
Alligator Hunting
Alligator hunting is a part of much of the Southeast’s culture. The swamps of Florida and Lousianna are famous for it, even spawning shows like Swamp People on the History Channel.
