Video of Massive ‘Dinosaur’ Gator Goes Viral

Judging by a couple of viral photos and videos, it seems like Florida’s gators have been hitting the gym in the last few months — at least when they’re not riding manatees for fun. The latest unbelievable gator shot comes from Facebook user Kim Joiner.

In the clip, shared above and filmed at the Polk Nature Discovery Center in Lakeland, Joiner and others silently watch and film as a giant gator slowly passes in front of them, rumbling across the screen like a CGI dinosaur from the Jurassic Park franchise. And by the looks of it, this animal certainly can rival the world’s largest alligator on record.

Joiner shared the video on a Facebook page that documents photos and videos of Florida wildlife entitled Circle B Bar Reserve. The post quickly took off, garnering over 2.5 thousand reactions, over 150 comments, and a whopping 15,000 shares as of January 16 — only 17 hours after it was initially posted.

In addition to the Facebook post, Joiner also spoke to local Florida television station WKMG. She told the station that the gator had to be at least 12 feet long.

The anchors themselves were shocked at the animal, with anchor Kristin O’Connor asking if it’s real, while her colleague Justin Warmoth exclaimed, “It looks like a dinosaur!”

Your Daily Dish spoke with Kim Joiner regarding the video. She told us, “Gators cross the berms (sic) a lot at Circle B, however timing is everything. Very excited to get the video and amazed at the viral response.“