--- title: Giant Alligator Found in Florida description: It looks too big to be real. canonical: https://time.com/4283479/giant-alligator-florida/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-06T16:11:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:31:23.818Z og:title: This 780-Pound Alligator Looks Too Big to Be Real og:description: It looks too big to be real. og:url: https://time.com/4283479/giant-alligator-florida/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3673921374aeb172/69888df43c1639008445cbd0/gator-florida.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Nine-year-old Mason Lightsey is pictured with a 800-pound (363 kg) giant alligator at his father's farm in Venus, Florida og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This 780-Pound Alligator Looks Too Big to Be Real twitter:description: It looks too big to be real. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3673921374aeb172/69888df43c1639008445cbd0/gator-florida.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This 780-Pound Alligator Looks Too Big to Be Real  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Apr 6, 2016 4:11 PM UTC  Mason Lightsey is pictured with the giant alligator caught at his father Lee Lightsey's farm in Venus, FL, on April 2, 2016. Mason Lightsey is pictured with the giant alligator caught at his father Lee Lightsey's farm in Venus, FL, on April 2, 2016.Reuters  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Apr 6, 2016 4:11 PM UTC A giant alligator killed by Florida hunters last weekend is going viral. The reptile was nabbed in Okeechobee by Lee Lightsey on an April 2 [guided gator hunt](https://www.facebook.com/OutwestFarmsInc/photos/a.220821308032940.48976.220802104701527/936410713140659/?type=3&theater) as part of Outwest Farms, an alligator and hog hunting group in Venus, Florida. It was said to have gotten too close to cattle on private property. The group initially estimated that its length was “just under 15 feet”—and [posted the photo on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/OutwestFarmsInc/photos/a.220815058033565.48974.220802104701527/938386919609705/?type=3&theater) to show off its scale—but the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission will not be taking an official measurement, a spokesperson told TIME. It is, however, not long enough to beat the record for the largest alligator found in Florida, which was 14 feet, 3.5 inches in length. A spokesperson for the state’s fish and wildlife commission could confirm that it weighed 780 pounds. 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