Florida Hog Hunter

[sendero25]

A friend sent me this picture in an e-mail. It was as fwd, so take it with a grain of salt.
The pic was supposed to have been taken on Hwy 70 near Lake Placid Florida at "Blue Head Ranch"
Any tradgangers in that part of the state may know where it is.
I hope this pic comes through, I'm not very computer savvy.
John

[alligatordond]

I could be wrong but I believe this is a pic of a croc not a gator. Coloration seems too light to be a gator. The upper jaw also shows indentations common on crocs from the teeth protruding from the lower jaw. I would guess this is a pic of an australian croc with one of their feral pigs.

[sendero25]

DonD,
I agree, the color does seem pretty light but I have seen a few light colored gators when they are out of the water for a while and the nose seems more rounded than "sharp" like an American croc. But I have never seen an Australian "saltie" so I have no idea what one looks like.
Like I said, the pic was forwarded to me after a bunch of other "forwards" so I have no idea as to the accuracy. or if it is legit or not. I have no doubt gators or crocs eat pigs, when I was in my early teens, my dad and I were on an airboat just east of the Big Cypress swamp and saw a 10-12' gator with a bear cub in its mouth. Don't know if it killed the cub or found it as road kill on the Tamiami Trail.
Just thought it was an interesting pic.
John

[alligatordond]

Oh yes, a cool pic for sure. I think the camera angle is deceptive regarding the shape of the snout but the color coupled with the indentations on the upper jaw scream croc to me. If I recall correctly, a gator's lower jaw is narrower than the upper and the lower teeth usually fit inside the upper when the mouth is closed. The croc's jaws are the same width and some lower teeth protrude thus the indentations in the upper jaw.

Just sharing some loose knowledge from some reading I did many years ago so forgive me if my memory, or lack thereof, creates some inaccuracies in my post.

That beast in your pic would make for a wonderful trophy for any traditional bowhunter. and the shot angle is near perfect, though the blood trail may get a bit, " exciting".

[sendero25]

I'd be afraid of getting hit by a truck trying to find the blood trail!
I'd be happy shooting the little piggy it is about to eat!
John

[bawana bowman]

This pic is definitely a croc and not a gator. Also the flora in the background is not what is found around Lake Placid, Florida.( mostly open fields, large oaks, cypress stands. Typical central Florida type terrain.)
There was another set of pictures circulating the net recently, an extremely large gator swimming across a lake with a whole deer in its mouth.
This email stated the picture was taken from a helicopter while flying over lake George, east of Ocala National Forest, and north of Astor, on the St. Johns river chain of lakes.
A second email about 2 months later showed the same pics, but stated they were taken over Lake Placid. This time they also included pics of a game commission employee standing next to the deceased gator while hanging from a large tree. Claimed the man was like 6'4". This made the gator appear to be like 18-20'.
I have a friend that lives on the SE side of Lake Placid, The pics actually looked like they could have been taken in his neighborhood, although he doesn't recall hearing anything about it. So I guess you can take it how you want.
If I can find the pics of this event I'll try to post them.
In the mean time, that's not a gator, and it is highly unlikely that it was taken around the Lake Placid area. I also vote Australia!

[WidowEater]

it must have got into quite a scuffle to lose the tip of its tail like that

[Recurve50 LBS]

Glad they don't live up here in Jersey! You can keep them dinosaurs!

[JimB]

It is an Nile crocodile and one tipoff is,it is carrying a warthog.Notice the warthog's tusk,just above the crocs left front foot.Above that is one of the facial "warts" and above that is the eye which on a warthog,protrude from the head more than our hogs.big critter though.

[sendero25]

JimB, I think you nailed it, it does look like a warthog. I didn't pay much attention to the pig's tusk, I glanced and thought it may be a piece of bone, it looks way to long for a Florida hog tooth, but I would like that skull cleaned up and on my wall.
John