Massive 12-foot alligator trapped in Florida weighs nearly 750 pounds

Alligators are a common sight in Florida. Those that are 12-feet long, nearly 750 pounds and walking through a commerce park aren't.

A massive alligator measuring just that was trapped by the Jupiter Police Department on Thursday after a business owner noticed it wandering by an office in South Florida, officials said.

Photos shared by the department on Facebook show the behemoth reptile with its jaw open as police officers carefully coax it near what appears to be a cul-de-sac. Officers were able to wrap the alligator's jaw shut and restrain it.

"He was carefully removed without harm from the area and relocated to a safe place," the department said.

The alligator was taken to a gator farm in Central Florida "where he will live out the remainder of his years," Jupiter Police public information officer Kristin Rightler told the Sun Sentinel.

Female alligators rarely measure beyond 10 feet long, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. American male alligators are known to grow larger, with an average size of 11.2 feet, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute reports. They can also weigh up to a whopping 1,000 pounds.

Florida's heaviest alligator on record came in at 1,043 pounds in Alachua County, the FWC website shows. The longest was found in Brevard County and measured 14-foot, 3.5 inches.

Alligators are more active in warmer weather, the FWC notes. Another reason the reptiles could be on the move: April 1 marks alligator mating season, which typically runs through June.

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