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Goliath Alligator Eats Turtle: Massive Gator Spotted Again On Florida Golf Course

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 09:42 PST, Mar 27, 2015

A massive, 13-foot-long alligator nicknamed “Goliath” has been photographed once again at a Florida golf course, this time chowing down on an unfortunate snapping turtle along the edge of one of the fairways.

Goliath made international headlines earlier this year when he was photographed at the Myakka Pines Golf Course in Florida, as the Inquisitr previously reported. The alligator stunned observers with its large size, prompting some to ask whether photos of the animal walking across a putting green were doctored to make it look larger than it actually was.

Yesterday, the alligator reappeared, and was photographed preying upon a large snapping turtle, as the Daily Mail reports. In several new images, Goliath can be seen with the turtle caught between its jaws, situated near the edge of a body of water somewhere along one of the course’s fairways.

While Goliath is a large specimen, golfers in Florida are no strangers to alligators on the course. As ABC 13 related, patrons are apt to give Goliath the right-of-way, though the animal has hardly bothered any of them. Mickie Zada, the golf course’s general manager, pointed out that her clientele is familiar with the species.

“If we stopped playing because of alligators, we’d never have golfers,” she said.

Though Zada has fielded many calls about the images of Goliath that spread online recently, she attests that the man who photographed the alligator was incapable of altering them.

“This gentleman is well into his 80s. He wouldn’t even know Photoshop,” she related.

When the massive alligator first garnered attention earlier in the year, Zada noted that it had taken up residence around the course’s seventh hole. In the 37 years that the business has been open, no golfers have ever been attacked by alligators, which generally move aside for them. Nevertheless, the course has warned patrons to forget about any balls that may erroneously find their way into the water.

Though Goliath is an intimidating specimen, he is hardly the largest alligator to make an appearance on the course. In the past, a 15-foot-long alligator, nicknamed Big George, was a popular fixture in the area, though the predator has since died.

Wildlife officials have advised that dangerous conditions between alligators and humans generally occur when the animals are fed, though Goliath may prefer the taste of a wayward snapping turtle.

[Image: Myakka Pines Golf Club/ Facebook via the Daily Mail]

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