'I was thinking we got Godzilla here': Hunter tells of moment he caught recordbreaking 14ft3in alligator on Hallowe'en

By SOPHIE FREEMAN

Catch of the day: Tres Ammerman with the alligator he harpooned on Halloween night. The 14ft3.5ins beast - thought to be between 50 and 60-years-old has broken the Florida state record


One of the largest alligators in the world has been caught in Florida.

The gator, trapped by hunter Tres Ammerman on Halloween night, measures 14ft 3.5ins - breaking the state record.

It's believed the beast, which weighed 654 pounds is between 50 and 60-years-old.

The last state record was set back in 1997 and the alligator was just over 14ft.
Mr Ammerman's find, caught just west of Melbourne, is three inches longer.

The hunter is planning to sell his catch to a taxidermist at $1,000 a foot, netting him in excess of $14,000.

He said: 'I feel like I hit the lottery. I do, it's just amazing.'


Mammoth: The gator, which weighed 654 pounds, tugged and pulled for half an hour after Mr Ammerman harpooned it. It was too large to fit in the hunter's boat and had to be dragged behind the vessel


Mr Ammerman, originally from Yorkshire, England, was hunting with two friends on Sunday night in Lake Washington when he harpooned the reptile. The gator fought his line for 30 minutes before Mr Ammerman could work out how big the creature was.

'He was running, jumping, rolling, fighting and trying to bite up on my boat ... I was thinking we got Godzilla here,' Mr Ammerman said.

The gator was too large to fit into their boat, so they spent two hours dragging it behind them before hauling it into the back of their truck.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has confirmed that Mr Ammerman's catch is a new state record.

The largest alligator ever recorded was found in Louisiana and measured 19ft 2 ins.


source: dailymail