The alligator is one of the largest reptiles in the world, and it can grow surprisingly big. Typically, alligators grow to between 400lbs – 800lbs and over 8 feet.
However, there are some alligators that have grown much larger than that. In this article, we will explore the top 9 largest alligators ever recorded. We will also look at some unconfirmed reports of even bigger alligators.
You are reading: The Top 9 Largest Alligators Ever
From the Stokes Alligator, which is the biggest verified alligator in the world, to the Florida farm alligator, which is one of the heaviest alligators ever recorded, we will provide you with all the details.
The Top 9 Largest Alligators
EverThe Stokes Alligator – 15 feet 9 inches, 1,380 pounds
The Stokes Alligator is the biggest verified alligator in the world, measuring 15 feet 9 inches and weighing 1,380 pounds. It was killed by Mandy Stokes and her crew from Thomaston in the Alabama River in August 2014.
The animal earned world record status after a pair of master measurers from Safari Club International put a tape to its skin and head and came up with a total of 15 feet 9 inches.
The Stokes Gator is also the new No. 1 in Alabama, beating the 14-foot, 2-inch, 838-pound animal killed by Keith Fancher and his crew in 2011. The trophy is currently on display at Millers Ferry Powerhouse on the Alabama River in Camden, Alabama.
The Stokes Alligator was unveiled in its full-body mount at the Mann Wildlife Learning Museum in Montgomery, Alabama in May 2015.
The Florida farm alligator – 15 feet, 800 pounds
Robert “Tres” Ammerman is a noted alligator hunter who caught the longest documented alligator in Florida in November 2010. The alligator measured 14 feet 3.5 inches long and weighed 654 pounds, breaking a 13-year record.
However, according to a more recent article, Ammerman caught another alligator in December 2017 that was not officially recognized as a record.
The article states that the catch was so big that Ammerman couldn’t load it into his boat and had to tow it to shore after the gator dragged the boat for 45 minutes.
There was another alligator in the area that may have been bigger than Ammerman’s catch, but no one ever got close to it.
The Robert Ammerman Alligator – 14 feet 3.5 inches, 654 pounds
Robert “Tres” Ammerman is a noted alligator hunter who caught the longest documented alligator in Florida in November 2010. The alligator measured 14 feet 3.5 inches long and weighed 654 pounds, breaking a 13-year record.
In December 2017, Ammerman caught another alligator that was not officially recognized as a record. The catch was so big that Ammerman couldn’t load it into his boat and had to tow it to shore after the gator dragged the boat for 45 minutes.
There was another alligator in the area that may have been bigger than Ammerman’s catch, but no one ever got close to it.
Tom Grant’s alligator – 13 feet 8 inches, 880 pounds
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Tom Grant, along with Kenny Winter and two other hunters, caught a 697-pound alligator in Mississippi in 2012. It took six days just to sight the gator on private land where Grant had spotted it while fishing and where the hunters had permission to hunt.
The alligator went under water, so Grant threw his cast in his general area and was able to hook him. The hunters then used a combination of a fishing rod, a harpoon, and a gun to take down the massive alligator.
The catch set a Mississippi record for the largest alligator ever caught. The alligator was later put on display at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science.
The Louisiana Alligator – 13 feet 8 inches, 880 pounds
The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is a large crocodilian reptile native to the southeastern United States, and Louisiana has the largest American alligator population of any U.S. state.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries manages the American alligator as a commercial, renewable natural resource through sustainable wild harvest and alligator farming.
Although alligators can be found in ponds, lakes, canals, rivers, swamps, and bayous in Louisiana, they are most common in coastal marshes. Of the almost 4.5 million acres of alligator habitat available in Louisiana, coastal marshes account for more than 3 million, followed by cypress-tupelo swamp (750,600 acres), Atchafalaya Basin swamp (207,000 acres), and lakes (32,105 acres).
The largest alligator ever recorded in Louisiana was 13 feet 8 inches long and weighed 880 pounds. Recently, Louisiana lawmakers have called for expanded hunting limits and season due to the increasing alligator population.
The Alabama Alligator – 13 feet 6 inches, 1,011.5 pounds
The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is the only species of alligator that exists in Alabama.
The distribution of the American alligator in Alabama is typically limited to the southern half of the state, mostly due to habitat and temperature requirements. Higher densities of alligators occur in wetland habitats such as coastal marshes, natural lakes, riverine wetlands, and some reservoirs.
The habitat in the northern half of the state is marginal. However, increased sightings in these areas may indicate a northern expansion of their historic range. Unregulated alligator harvest throughout the South in the early 1900s threatened the species with extinction.
Alabama played a leading role in the restoration of the American alligator—a national conservation success story. Alligators are an important part of Alabama’s landscape and play a valuable role in the ecology of the state’s wetlands.
Alligators are a top predator species and help keep other species in balance. In 2014, a group of six hunters caught a 12-foot, 9-inch alligator weighing 524 pounds along the Alabama coast, which was considered a significant catch.
In the same year, Mandy Stokes, her husband John Stokes, and brother-in-law Kevin Jenkins caught the biggest gator ever legally killed in the state of Alabama, weighing 1,011.5 pounds and measuring 15 feet long. The trophy is currently on display at Millers Ferry Powerhouse on the Alabama River in Camden, Alabama,
The Texas Alligator – 13 feet 0 inches, 900 pounds
The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is the only species of alligator that exists in Texas. The range of the alligator in Texas extends from the Sabine River of East Texas to the Gulf of Mexico and across the coastal marshes to the Rio Grande.
Alligators are found in or near water, and they are common in swamps, rivers, bayous, and marshes of the southern U.S., including the eastern third of Texas. The American alligator is a large, semi-aquatic, armored reptile that is related to crocodiles.
Almost black in color, the American alligator has prominent eyes and nostrils with coarse scales over the entire body. It has a large, long head with visible upper teeth along the edge of the jaws.
Alligator-human conflicts are rare in Texas, and one human fatality has been attributed to an alligator attack in Texas. In 2014, a 13-foot alligator was caught in Chalk Creek, Texas, which was the former SCI record.
The Georgia Alligator – 12 feet 11 inches, 620 pounds
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The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is the only species of alligator that exists in Georgia. Alligators in Georgia typically range in size from 6 to 14 feet, though some individuals have been known to exceed 15 feet in length.
The largest alligator ever caught in Georgia was 14 feet long and weighed over 700 pounds. In 2015, a 14-feet-1-inch gator was found, which is considered the biggest one ever caught in Georgia.
However, in 2019, a wildlife biologist encountered a “massive” alligator weighing an estimated 700 pounds and measuring 13 feet and 4 inches in length. The animal was found in an irrigation ditch near a lake and was not the largest alligator ever found in the state. Male alligators can grow as long as 16 feet, although anything over 14 feet is considered rare.
The American alligator is a large, semi-aquatic, armored reptile that is related to crocodiles and can be found in or near water, including swamps, rivers, bayous, and marshes.
The Arkansas Alligator – 12 feet 0 inches, 600 pounds
Arkansas is home to the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), a large reptile that can grow up to 14 feet long and weigh over 1,000 pounds.
One of the biggest alligators found in the swamps of Arkansas is over 14 feet long and 800 pounds in weight.
The American alligator has been a component of Arkansas’s native fauna for thousands of years.
Once prized for its valuable hide, the American alligator was nearly hunted to extinction, but fortunately, alligator populations have rebounded due to conservation efforts.
FAQS
1. What is the largest alligator ever recorded?
The largest alligator ever recorded was 15 feet 9 inches long and weighed 1,380 pounds. It was found in Arkansas in 2012.
2. What is the longest confirmed alligator on record?
The longest confirmed alligator was 15 feet and 9 inches long.
3. Are there any unconfirmed reports of even bigger alligators?
Yes, there are unconfirmed reports of a gator over 19 feet long.
4. What is the biggest alligator ever caught in Florida?
The biggest alligator ever caught in Florida was 14 feet long and weighed over 1,000 pounds.
5. What is the biggest alligator ever caught in Georgia?
The biggest alligator ever caught in Georgia was 14 feet 1 inch long.
6. What is the biggest alligator ever caught in Alabama?
The biggest alligator ever caught in Alabama weighed 1,011.5 pounds and measured 15 feet long.
7. What is the biggest alligator ever caught in Texas?
The former SCI record for the biggest alligator caught in Texas was a 13-foot alligator caught in Chalk Creek.
8. What is the typical size range for alligators?
Alligators typically range in size from 6 to 14 feet, though some individuals have been known to exceed 15 feet in length.
9. What is the habitat of alligators?
Alligators can be found in or near water, including swamps, rivers, bayous, and marshes.
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Category: Animals
