"Home to Jurassic Park" - Visuals of giant alligator at Florida golf course goes viral
An image of an alligator slumped on a golf field and gazing snarkily at the camera was uploaded to Facebook by a user named Matt Devitt on Wednesday. The photograph was taken by Rich Louty at the Sebring Golf Course. It went on to be shared by over a thousand users, making the post go viral.
The image captured isn't sufficient to determine the accurate size of the reptile, but the longest of its kind in Florida is measured to be 14 feet 3 1/2 inches long and the heaviest alligator in florida is measured to weigh about 1043 pounds. They are known to be common in Florida, with the species inhabiting all 67 counties of the state.
The massive alligator on the golf course went viral in just a couple of days.
“Welcome to Florida, home to Jurassic Park,” wrote Devitt on his post.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, fully grown versions of them prey on and consume fish, snakes, small mammals, turtles, and birds and conveniently not golfers.
Locals throng comment section of Alligator's photo
Devitt's post on Facebook saw 2000 users chiming in with their thoughts about the unusual incident. A local resident wrote in the comments section:
"We have lived in Florida since 89. The biggest I have ever seen was laying across a canal near a boat ramp in Debary about 20 years ago. He was a bit bigger than this one. We just turned the boat around and went the other way."
Whilst another one wrote:
“I love sunny Florida, but these guys keep me from living there.”
Another comment reads:
“Well that will certainly SLOW DOWN your game.”
The comment section of the post was filled with hilarious reactions to the the animal's presence, with most users being amused by the gator's impressive size. Most of these came from the people of Florida who shared their experiences with sighting alligators in their backyards, schools, golf courses and various other public places. This goes to show just how common gators are in the sunshine state.
The incident also sheds light on the fact that additional safety measures will have to be taken to ensure people who often utilize the grounds nearby aren't injured. Although alligators do naturally fear humans and tend to move backwards when approached or avoid contact altogether, they are also capable of running at 35 miles per hour.