Wildlife Officials Kill Giant Alligator Discovered in Oklahoma Lake

According to wildlife authorities, a big alligator over 10 feet long was observed in Claremore Lake, Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) stated that it got reports from members of the general public approximately a week ago of a huge alligator in the lake in the state's northeast.

Department personnel later returned to the area of the lake where the alligator had been spotted and discovered.

According to a DWC representative, the animal had to be killed for public safety concerns.

Giant alligator found

(Photo : Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

According to the National Wildlife Federation, American alligators may be found in coastal marshes across the southern United States, with their range extending as far north as North Carolina and as far west as eastern Texas, as per Newsweek.

Male American alligators may grow to be more than 12 feet long and weigh up to 1,000 pounds, while females are somewhat smaller on average.

According to the DWC, alligators are exclusively found in the southeast of the state, including the Red and Little River systems that go through Choctaw, Bryan, McCurtain, and Love counties.

Don Brown, a communications consultant with the DWC, told KFOR in a story published last year that alligators are not regular sights anyplace in Oklahoma save the very point of the state's southeast corner, down even south of Broken Bow.

Typically, people have to go hunting for one in order to find one. He said that they are usually found in marshy places, down by the river in difficult locations.

If we can keep a safe distance from them and leave them alone, they will typically keep a safe distance from you.

According to Brown, the majority of alligators discovered in Oklahoma outside of the southeast are former pets that were released by their owners.

Also Read: 'Evil' Wild Pigs, Alligators Roamed Area Where Brian Laundrie's Skeletal Remains Were Found

What should we know about alligators?

Humans are not their preferred food. Alligators like eating a wide range of amphibians, birds, fish, reptiles, and small mammals such as raccoons and rabbits.

If they notice something splashing in the water, they will bite first and ask questions afterward.

Alligators are highly effective predators.

To attack their victim, alligators conceal themselves by remaining submerged with only their eyes visible above the surface.

They usually wait for anything to swim or walk by before lunging for it. The predators are extremely swift on land and much quicker on water.

Alligators are often timid, yet they are still predators.

The American alligator is only found in freshwater, but the American crocodile may live in both freshwater and saltwater environments.

Donnelly, an amphibian and reptile specialist, advised against allowing children or pets to play, swim, or exercise in bodies of water where these reptiles may live.

Heithaus, an apex predator specialist, advised staying watchful near shorelines, especially between dark and dawn, when they are most active.

Allow them their space and never feed them to make them less fearful of people.

Alligators perform a vital function in balancing the ecology. Alligators are apex predators at the top of the food chain, helping to keep other animal populations in check.

They generate a habitat for fish and marine invertebrates by excavating holes and leaving trails throughout wetlands.

Alligators also aid in the protection of birds.

Although alligators prefer to linger around under rookeries to eat nestlings that fall out of their nests, they also enjoy eating raccoons, which feed on birds in their nests.

Ectothermic animals include alligators and crocodiles. This implies they do not control their body temperature inside.

Instead, they rely on external sources of heat to control their body temperature, such as lying out in the sun or moving to warmer or colder places.