I’m sure the image of this alone has the entire cast of Swamp People clamoring and racing to their boats to bag the biggest gator of all time. In fact, Troy might already have a nickname designated for this beast; “big head” would surely be fitting. Unfortunately I think the members of Swamp People and individuals that love gator skin shoes would probably be disappointed.
This massive creation was designed by Florida artist, Lloyd Goradesky, in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of preserving the Everglades. The head of the gator is 90’x30’ and weighs approximately 30,000 pounds. That’s a heavy reptile. I don’t think you’ll see any one doing “I can stick my hand in its mouth!” tricks with this one.
I’m stumped as to what category of vertebrates this particular brand of alligator would fall into though. The monster jaws of this guy are controlled by a Caterpillar excavator. Talk about being in the belly of the beast! The Caterpillar is also responsible for steering the 20-ton barge that the head rests on. I believe this would qualify as an unconventional use of construction equipment.
This might also be the only time in the history of ever that a teeny caterpillar gets to control something as beastly as an alligator. Anyone else smell a David v. Goliath rematch?