A massive alligator found in a Florida waterway has died as part of a death investigation, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
At approximately 1:50 p.m. Friday, deputies from the law enforcement agency responded to an area of unincorporated Largo. There was a report of human remains in a waterway.
In that waterway, they also found a nearly 14-foot long (13-foot, 8.5-inch) male alligator. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, that’s close to double the size of alligators when they reach maturity.
“The Florida state record for length is a 14-foot 3 1/2-inch male from Lake Washington in Brevard County,” said the FWC.
In unincorporated Largo, the gator was “humanely killed and removed from the waterway,” per the sheriff’s office. FWC staff also provided assistance.
As for the human remains discovered in the water, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said the medical examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. When the remains are identified and next of kin has been notified the agency intends to issue an update. An investigation into the findings is ongoing.
“Any citizen who has a concern regarding an alligator should call FWC’s toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286,” said the sheriff’s office.
Earlier this year, another alligator went viral after the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana shared photos of it sitting outside the doors of a local Dollar General, WWL reported. Another, much smaller, gator shocked a couple who moved to New Iberia this summer and yet another bit a child in New Orleans.