There’s a reason that Florida University’s mascot is a gator. The ravenous reptiles are all over the state, and a recent tussle between two of the beastly creatures at a golf course has caught the internet’s attention.
According to local news affiliate WFLA, the Myakka Pines golf course in Englewood, FL, was recently home to a full-blown gator fight on the fourth hole, and it was all caught on camera.
Florida resident Lynn Sarels was playing a round with some friends on Saturday when the group noticed a commotion on the fourth hole. Two alligators were engaged in an epic brawl right on the green, and it was truly a sight to behold.
“They were rolling around, biting each other, flipping each other, it was amazing,” said Sarels.
The fight’s instigator was already something of a local celebrity. Goliath, a 12-foot gator who got his own taste of viral fame back in the spring, had chased down a smaller 10-foot gator who encroached on his territory.
Goliath’s first graced social media months ago when a video of him roaming the course went viral. This time around, Goliath was not alone, and witness Kathy Dee quickly grabbed her camera to capture the melee.
“I got a little nervous then because I had never seen that before,” said Dee. “They were rolling around and they were tangling with one another and one was trying to get free.”
After about ten minutes, the fight concluded, and Goliath maintained his title of “Baddest Gator in Myakka Pines.” The gargantuan beast confidently strode away while the smaller gator limped into a pond.
Spotting alligators on the course is nothing new for Florida golfers. There are more than 1,300 golf courses throughout the state, and Myakka Pines is one of many that was built on a swamp with eclectic wildlife.
According to the Weather Channel, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission squashed rumors that the gators were actually mating. They said the pair “definitely” wouldn’t be mating this time of year, and the video shows a real-life fight between two territorial gators.
“Neither alligators were injured, and we think it was just a little territorial fight,” said Myakka Pines general manager Mickie Zada. “Goliath was like nuh-uh, you ain’t taking my territory.”
Zada added that he has no plans to remove Goliath or any of the other estimated 100 alligators from the golf course.