12-Foot-Long Alligator Weighing 460-Pound Found In Florida

A 12-foot-long alligator weighing 463 pounds was spotted lying on its back in the middle of a highway exit in Florida. Animal trapper Broderick Vaughan arrived at the scene June 3 to capture the reptile.

Vaughan, who works as a contractor for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, told Live Science that police patrol cars were parked on either side of the Interstate 10 exit in Tallahassee, keeping traffic away from the alligator. The gigantic alligator had a large wound on the side of its head and snout. Police reportedly told Vaughan that the animal had been wandering in circles for a long time.

"I thought it was dead," Vaughan told Live Science.

Vaughan said that during the capture, the alligator did not exert any energy as the injured reptile was already exhausted. Vaughan slipped a snare around its neck and taped its mouth shut. Police told Vaughan that after inspecting the debris in the area, they determined that the creature sustained its wound in a collision with a semi truck.

Vaughan transported the alligator from the area and it "came back to life" while in the vehicle. The animal trapper said the alligator's injury was serious because of which it had to be euthanized later.

According to Vaughan, this was the third largest alligator she encountered in Florida. The largest was 12 feet, 8 inches long.

Alligator sightings are common in Florida and there have been several instances when these reptiles were seen lurking in neighborhoods. About one-quarter of the estimated 5 million American gators living in southeastern United States are found in Florida.

In August, a massive 12-foot long alligator, weighing over 1,000 pounds, was captured on Florida's Lake Okeechobee. An airline pilot and two friends took more than one hour and a half to lure and capture the gator, an activity done under a permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that has been in effect since 1988.