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A 12-foot-long alligator killed by a motorist on a coastal North Carolina highway weighed about 475 pounds, forcing officials to use a large excavator to remove the reptile.
The American alligator was about 85 years old when it was struck late Monday night along U.S. 17 in Onslow County, state wildlife officials said. The reptile was removed by state Department of Transportation officials Tuesday.
"For this alligator to be the size it was, it's obviously been here a long time, and this is the first time we've known about it. That says something," said Sgt. Charles Smith, a law enforcement officer with North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
The motorist, who wasn't identified, was unharmed.
The American alligator was taken off the endangered species list in 1987, but the legal trade of alligator skin is still regulated, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The reptiles live throughout the Southeast, and it's not uncommon for them to cross major roadways as part of their seasonal migration, said Warren Wethington, Onslow County DOT maintenance engineer.
Yeah, we have gators in extreme eastern NC. When I lived in New Bern, just 30 miles north of Jacksonville (Onslow Co.) I saw several gators in the local creeks. One time I saw one cross the road as well.
One time a gator attacked a lab in the middle of a subdivision which is located along a creek. However, this is very rare.
If I had hit that thing I would have claimed it. The hide might have paid for the damage to my old truck. At the very least I would have had plenty of fresh meat! 475 lbs of gator burgers...
Umm gator tastes like frog or a combo of frog and chicken
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