Discover The 4 Largest Alligators Ever Found in the United States

4. Melbourne, Florida — 14 Feet, 3 Inches

In 2010, Florida hunter Robert Ammerman broke a 13-year record for the largest alligator in Florida. Before, the record was 14 feet and 5/8 inches. However, Ammerman managed to squeeze just past that record with a 14-foot, 3-inch alligator.

It was the very last day of the season when the alligator was caught. Though Robert knew the size of his gator, he didn’t learn until later that it was the largest on record.

It took Ammerman and his two partners, Sam White and T.J. Schauf, 45 minutes of fighting with the alligator before it was tired enough that they could get the alligator close to the boat.

3. Okeechobee, Florida — 15 Feet

Lee Lightsey decided to go alligator hunting in 2016. He’d hired guides to help him find good hunting spots. While they were exploring various ponds and bodies of water, Lee spotted the gator.

There’d been a few reports about the animal, as cattle had been going missing near the water. However, no one expected it to be quite as big as it was.

Lee and Blake needed the help of locals and a farm factor to get the animal out of the water once it was hunted. Blake and the company he worked for, Outwest Farms, said that before that, the largest alligator they’d caught was a little over 14 feet long.

The hunt was just for fun, so the meat was all donated to charity while the skin of the alligator was taxidermied and used for a hunting display at various expos.

However, according to Florida’s official recordings, this one has not beat the record for the largest gator ever caught in the state. With the record at the time measuring about 14 feet and 3 inches, that means the gator is a lot smaller than was reported.

There are some debates on whether the information recorded was true or not, so take this monster on the list with a grain of salt.

2. Autaugaville, Alabama — 15 Feet, 9 Inches

Known as the Stokes alligator, the largest official alligator on record. It measured 15 feet, 9 inches and was said to weigh over 1,000 pounds.

The alligator was found and killed in Autaugaville, Alabama in 2014. It’s still the record holder in 2023. A few gators have come close, but no one’s been able to beat the record as of yet.

The Stokes alligator was stuffed and specially mounted before it was given to the Montgomery Zoo in Alabama.

1. Gainesville, Florida — 19 Feet, 2 Inches

Outclassing all of the other alligators on this list is the 19-foot behemoth found in Gainesville, Florida. It was said to measure 19 feet and 2 inches long and weighed 1,043 pounds.

There are a lot of debates about this alligator. Though even South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources page lists this gator as the largest, it’s not officially confirmed. The largest one on record is the one just above this, but this monster should be mentioned anyway.

Though this alligator was found relatively recently (in 1989), it was before standardized measurements and official weightings were standard practice. This has led many people to doubt the size of the beast as it stands out quite far from other gators found in recent history.