Fact Check

Was a Giant Alligator Spotted on a Florida Golf Course?

To some viewers, this "dinosaur-sized" gator was simply too big to be believed.

Published Nov. 13, 2020

 (Valencia Golf and Country Club)
Image Via Valencia Golf and Country Club
Claim:
Photographs show a giant alligator on a golf course in Florida in November 2020.

On Nov. 12, 2020, photographs supposedly showing a "dinosaur-sized" alligator ambling across a golf course in Florida went viral on social media:

These are genuine images.

They were captured at the Valencia Golf and Country Club in Naples, Florida. Tyler Stolting, an employee at the club, captured a video of this large alligator that was later shared to the golf club's Facebook page:

Stolting told the Tampa Bay Times that he spotted the gator while driving by the club's 17th tee. While alligators are occasionally spotted at the Valencia Golf and Country Club, Stolting said that he has never seen one this big:

"Yep, it’s real ... Once I got closer it definitely was a shock."

Interestingly, this is not the first time that the internet has been shocked to the point of disbelief in reaction to photographs of large alligators on golf courses. In 2016, a similarly sized alligator was met with skepticism after being spotted at the Buffalo Creek Golf Club in Palmetto, Florida.

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.