The World’s Largest Gators
Wednesday, 6th February 2008 by Alex Turnbull
When I was younger, it was always one of my favourite 'facts' that "millions of years ago crocodiles and alligators were, like, hundreds of feet long". Of course it's difficult to argue with a statement this naïve, but we do know that the biological order of large reptiles known as Crocodilia has remained pretty much unchanged for a staggering 84 million years.1
Imagine my joy then, when I learned of a 200 foot-long gator in Florida! Imagine too, how my joy turned so quickly to disappointment when I saw the low-resolution shots that cover the Jungle Adventures alligator farm. They're so poor that I can't even spot a 200 foot-long alligator!
This got me thinking however... "What was the largest alligator in the world before this elusive specimen?" The answer of course, is the world's second largest gator! What a beaut, eh?
Miraculously also in Florida, at Jungleland, this 126 foot-long monster has an evil glint in its eyes, and is so big it could easily eat cars like biscuits! Wait a minute... it IS eating a car! Yes, it's chowing down on a safari jeep like it was a [Graham Cracker/Tim Tam/Hob-Nob]!2
All of which makes me rather glad that crocs and gators aren't any bigger than they already are.
Thanks to Kurt Leucht and Felippo. Read more about the world's largest gators at Roadside America.
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Their prehistoric relatives may have been much larger, but wouldn't necessarily be recognisable to us as 'crocodiles'. ↩︎
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Delete as appropriate. ↩︎
About the author
Alex has decided that his title will be Senior Vice President of Stuff.
View Placemark
Don’t forget about the Sunrise Mills Mall in Sunrise Florida. It’s shaped like a gator (although I can’t really tell from this view….but that’s what they say!)
@ GS – yeh…not seeing the gator either.
This one in Jabiru, NT, Australia is even bigger: View Placemark (-12.670471,132.832485) It’s the “Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn”
@BOK, I believe you’ve found the world’s largest Crocodile!
(It can’t be a Alligator you see, as they’re only native in the US and China.)
@GS: Yea, I live about 3 mi from Sawgrass Mills and have heard about the shape thing for a while, but I think the whole “gator” shape thing is gone since they added the two sections: The Oasis, and the Colonnade. Its been a while since the Oasis was added and its around that time the “Gator” promotions and all ended.
Its a shame that the Jungle Adventures pic is low res, but its a good post to see, I pass that gator on the way to see family up in that part. I think I have some ground level photos I could post up.
I used to pass by the Jungle Adventure every day. They have some bears there who’s pen you can see from the road. Sometimes they would climb up these poles and sleep on platforms at the top. I used to think it was good luck to see the bears.
When I used to visit my grandparents every winter in the 90’s, we would go to Jungle adventure land, and all teh other things around titusville.
I must have a million of those little rubber aligators they gave ya
There’s a small image of the 200 foot gator on the Jungle Adventures website banner: http://www.jungleadventures.com/
Massive croc on the loose in garden: View Placemark
Just for general info the Jungle adventure land zoo in Kissimmee Fl. has been closed for a few years now and is up for sale it looks like it has been abandoned, a few years ago a big cat escaped from the park and the fish and game commision closed them down and stripped them from their lic. they found some poor living conditions for the wildlife so they closed them down , so when the place ever does sell the gator will most likely be removed and a hotel or tourist shop will be in its place, a friend of mine owns a couple of hotels a few building from there. I drive past it a couple times a week.
Live Maps bird’s eye view has a nice shot of this.
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=nrpr3m87jqqz&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=36331225&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1
Oh, streetview now too:
Streetview