Nature & Environment

Alligator Looks Like A Cousin Long Gone

Brooke James
First Posted: Jan 18, 2017 04:30 AM EST

The state of Florida is eponymous with alligators. However, that does not mean it is not terrifying to see them blocking people's path during an afternoon stroll.

USA Today reported that a Facebook user named Kim Joiner shared a video that proves how terrifying these animals still are, even for those who frequent Circle B Bar Reserve -- a former cattle ranch in Pok country that boasts of "a wide variety of plants and animals." Not only these but visitors and guests are also "almost always guaranteed to see alligators."

As promised, it is not unusual for visitors to spot alligator activity in the area. Last year, a YouTube user shared a video of an alligator eating a smaller one at the same park. Kim Joiner's video, however, showed an alligator so massive that it looked like a distant cousin from the past, or at least a cousin that people only ever get to see in Jurassic Park films.

Many have been doubtful of the authenticity of the video, with some calling it a fake. However, locals told Tampa Bay television station that the massive male alligator has actually been around for years and is known as the "Big Humpback" in those parts, thanks to the curve of its long spine.

According to Forbes, Big Humpback is estimated to be around 14 or 15 feet in length, which puts him in the running for being one of Florida's biggest ever recorded -- at least, until someone could get close to him enough to get his accurate measurements. The current record holder is a male from Lake Washington in Brevard County. The alligator is said to be 14 feet, 3 and a half inches long.

At this point, however, it may be too dangerous to get close enough to Big Humpback with a measuring tape. And despite the increase of visitors in B Bar, it looks like nobody is ready to take a stab at measuring the scaly animal either.

See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone

More on SCIENCEwr