A wildlife biologist in Georgia recently encountered a “massive” alligator weighing an estimated 700 pounds and measuring 13 feet andย 4 inches in length, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Brent Howze foundย the animal on Feb. 18 in an irrigation ditch near a lake, DNR spokesperson Sarah Hanson told USA TODAY on Saturday.
A photo showing the gator with Howze in the background prompted anย investigation from local media to prove it wasn’t a “hoax.”ย Hanson verified the photo to USA TODAY.
The animal was euthanizedย due to its poor condition; the large alligator had several old gunshot wounds, Hanson said.
It isn’t the largest alligator ever found in the state โ that was a 14-feet-1-inch gator found in 2015, according to Hanson.ย Male alligators can grow as long as 16 feet, although anything over 14 feet is considered rare, according to a DNR fact sheet.
Even so, the 13-foot 4-inch animal is a โmassive gator,โย Hanson said.
The only way an alligator can grow so large is by avoiding human contact:ย โThis guy was hiding pretty good to get that big,โย Hanson said, crediting the state’s alligator management program.
Howze told Albany, Georgia, TV station WALBย that he wasn’t fazedย by the encounter: โYouโre perfectly safe. These animals exist. Theyโve been here for centuries, theyโve been existing with people for centuries and theyโre gonna continue to,โ he told the station.
