Giant Alligator Spotted at Florida Nature Preserve

The massive reptile was spotted and caught on video at the Polk Nature Discovery Center in Lakeland, Florida.

A massive alligator was spotted casually crossing a path at the Polk Nature Discovery Center in Florida. The moment was captured by Kim Joiner and posted to the nature center's Facebook page, whence it has been shared thousands of times:

The event captured in the video, posted on 15 January 2017, was not the first time a massive alligator had been spotted in Lakeland. In May 2016, a similarly gigantic alligator was recorded on video sauntering across a golf course:

Alligators are not by any means uncommon in the American South, particularly in Florida, where about a million of them live. Male alligators can grow very large, reaching up to 15 feet and weighing up to 1,000 pounds. Joiner told Florida television station WKMG she believed the one she spotted to be 12 feet long.

Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who has been working in the news industry since 2006.