Moose Droppings

12-foot, 475-pound alligator killed on N.C. coastal highway

Associated PressJACKSONVILLE, N.C. - 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.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.

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.

North Carolina is about the most northern end of the Alligators range. The population appears to be expanding and many southern states now have gator hunting season, I don’t expect we’ll have a season anytime soon.