Boat-towing gator sets record for Fla.'s longest

[November 09, 2010]  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- A man who trapped and killed an alligator so big it pulled his boat around a lake has snared what authorities say is Florida's longest gator on record, exceeding 14 feet.

Wildlife officials say the gator caught by Robert Ammerman, a nurse who traps gators as a hobby, weighed 654 pounds and measured 14 feet, 3 1/2 inches. It was caught Nov. 1, the last day of Florida's alligator harvest, in Lake Washington near Melbourne.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the previous record was a 14-foot, 5/8-inch alligator trapped in 1997. The state's heaviest gator on record was taken in 1989, weighing 1,043 pounds.

Ammerman said the gator thrashed and pulled his boat for about 45 minutes after being harpooned and took two hours to tow to dock.

[Associated Press]

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