Giant Alligator Found at Lake Moultrie

A photo of a huge alligator is making the rounds on Facebook and stirring all sorts of fears about what might be lurking in local waters. Reports suggest the gator, found on the shores of Lake Moultrie in Pinopolis, S.C., is estimated to weigh 800 pounds and measure 12 feet in length. It could have been 50 to 60 years old.

Here are a couple facts about huge alligators and crocodiles:

• An Indian wildlife institute is home to an estuarine crocodiles that measures 23 feet. It's the world record holder for largest crocodilian species.
• Hunters spent three weeks tracking a 21-foot, 2,369-pound saltwater alligator in the Philippines last summer. It's the largest alligator ever captured in the country. The saltwater species can reportedly grow much larger than the freshwater variety.
• A 200-foot alligator building is the world's largest man-made gator. It's so dang big it contains gift shop, ticket counter and offices of Jungle Adventures, in the holiday season-themed town of Christmas, Florida.
• The largest alligator taken in the U.S. was reportedly killed on Marsh Island, La., in an organized hunt. It was 19 feet long.