Florda Hunters Catches and monster gators.

 monster gator caught.

The largest published size record for the American alligator iThe largest published size record for the American alligator is a 14-foot, 9.25-inch individual that was killed in Alabama in 2014,” says wildlife ecologist and conservation biologist David A. Steen. “The American alligator in the video does not look nearly as big as those record-holders and I have no reason to suspect it is a fake.” 

Ian Recchio, curator of reptiles at the Los Angeles Zoo, agrees.

“The animal in the video is most certainly an American alligator, and it’s a pretty large one, probably a male,” he says. “I can’t tell if somebody photoshopped the people in the background, but it appears to be authentic.”

Measuring 15 feet long and weighing in at a staggering 1,011.5 lbs, this giant alligator was pulled out of a river in Alabama on Saturday morning, becoming the largest ever caught. The woman who did so broke out her special pearl necklace to celebrate.

Like coyote/wolf hybrids on the east coast, alligators represent a success story for a large predator thriving alongside mankind here in America. Once on the verge of extinction due to habitat destruction and pollution, the American Alligator now thrives; five million of them live throughout the Southeast. Controlled hunts help keep their populations healthy and in check through states like Louisiana, Arkansas and Florida.