This Massive Alligator Was Heavier Than a Grand Piano

American alligators are some of the largest and most powerful reptiles in North America, but a few grow to sizes that are almost hard to believe. Found across the southeastern United States, these predators are built for dominance, with thick armored bodies, massive jaws, and muscular tails that help them move effortlessly through water and across land.

While most alligators weigh between 400 and 800 pounds, the largest individuals can grow far beyond that range. At their biggest, they can rival the weight of a grand piano, making them some of the most massive and intimidating animals in U.S. waterways. Seeing one at that size puts into perspective just how powerful and enormous these reptiles can truly become.

Noted alligator hunter Robert Ammerman landed this gator in December 2017. Just glancing at the alligator's head told Ammerman all he needed to know. The catch was so big he couldn't load it into his boat. The only way to get it on land was by towing it to shore. And this was after the angry gator dragged the boat for 45 minutes! There was another alligator in the area that may have been bigger than Ammerman's catch. Only no one ever got close to getting their hands on it.

• Size: 14 feet 3.5 inches
• Weight: 654 pounds
• Year: 2017
• Where: Florida

Tom Grant is a famous alligator explorer. In 2012 he and his team actually went mano-a-mano with a gator that would end up in the record books as one of the largest. After a tussle, they finally wrestled the beast to shore. One of the team hunters, Kenny Winter, said the gator broke the boat's winch. The venture took a total hour and a half. The team ended up with a massive reptile with a measured belly girth of 65 inches. This catch was definitely a find as alligators of that length weren't common in the Mississippi Delta.

• Size: 13 feet 1.5 inches
• Weight: 697.5 pounds
• Year: 2012
• Where: Mississippi

This alligator drew attention by leaving the remains of missing cattle in the water around the area. They found it in a nearby cattle pond at Outwest Farms when Lee Lightsey spotted it. He owned the property. The Okeechobee, Florida, locals had to use a farm tractor to pull the animal out of the water. Blake Godwin, one of Lightsey's guides, was there for the measuring. After he said, "It is hard to believe that something this big exists in the wild." The two hunters gave the meat to charity and taxidermied the rest of the carcass.

• Size: 15 feet
• Weight: 800 pounds
• Year: 2016
• Where: Florida

This alligator actually had a name as he roamed the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge. Big Tex apparently stopped fearing humans. This created serious issues among the populace. He was finally lassoed and relocated. The refuge measured the creature, promptly calling Big Tex the biggest alligator in Texas history caught alive. They transferred Big Tex to an exhibit area in Gator Country. He became a popular attraction at the adventure park/rescue facility. One of his habitat mates is Big Al, another giant at 13 feet 4 inches and 1,000 pounds.

• Size: 13 feet 8.5 inches
• Weight: 900 pounds
• Year: 1996
• Where: Texas

There was a massive gator roaming the neighborhood, described by local homeowners as a "nuisance." Local alligator trapper Lane Stephens decided to go after it. He'd legally harvested over two dozen gators that year alone, pulling in four over 11 feet. Stephens snagged the gator with a baited hook, roped it, and ended the battle with a clean kill. In total, he and the gator fought for three and a half hours. Throughout, he marveled at the size of the beast. Neighbors had said it was big, but Stephens didn't expect the alligator to be a length of 14 feet!

• Size: 14 feet
• Weight: Around 1,000 pounds
• Year: 2012
• Where: Florida

Corey Capps dreamt of bringing down the behemoth of an alligator haunting his home in Blountstown. One day he was on a boat ride when he spotted the gator on the bank. Capps got his buddy, Rodney Smith, on the line. Smith had a legal tag for going after the animal. They went out the next day and harpooned the giant. Using a Jon boat, it took almost four hours to move the gator just 100 feet.

• Size: 13 feet
• Weight: 1,008 pounds
• Year: 2020
• Where: Florida

Currently, the Stokes gator remains the biggest verified alligator in the world. Mandy Stokes was a hunter of boars and deer but never planned to go one-on-one with a gator. But one day she and her family did go on a gator hunt.

On that fateful first trip, she bagged this giant. Wearing perfume and pearls, Stokes had the withdrawal to take on the gator for almost a full day.

The battle took place at a tributary of the Alabama River. The Stokes family was on a 17-foot aluminum vessel. The battle went on from night into the next morning. After setting the first hook, they struggled to hold onto the beast. It wasn't until the following morning Stokes got a clear shot.

The Stokes clan had to figure out how to get the capture back. They failed to get it into the boat. The family eventually lashed it to the hull. With the boat on the verge of tipping, everyone stayed on the opposite gunwale, the way sailors do to counter strong winds.

The animal broke the winch locals used to weigh gators. A sight to see, the Stokes alligator is on display in Camden at the Millers Ferry Powerhouse.

• Size: 15 feet 9 inches
• Weight: 1,011.5 pounds
• Year: 2014
• Where: Alabama

Found in Florida, a discovered alligator skull likely belonged to one of the largest alligators on record. It remains one of the largest skulls found in the state. Using the 29 1/2 inch length of the skull, investigators were able to determine the beast was 13 feet 10 inches. At the time, that put the animal in the biggest top five. It likely weighed 1,043 pounds.

• Size: 13 feet 10 inches
• Weight: 1,043 pounds
• Year: 2020
• Where: Florida

During an outing with a private hunting club, Mike Cottingham immediately recognized this monster as large. The head by itself weighed close to 300 pounds. The reptile was so huge five people had to lift it into the boat. After examining the alligator, a local herpetologist estimated the animal to be nearly 36 years old. The proud hunter said he planned to mount the head and use the rest of the alligator to make himself a fine pair of boots.

• Size: 13 feet 3 inches
• Weight: 1,380 pounds
• Year: 2012
• Where: Arkansas