Record-Breaking Alligator Captured in Mississippi, Could Be 100 Years Old

An alligator captured recently in Mississippi has broken the state record for the longest female alligator. Oh, and the reptile could be 100 years old!

The alligator was killed on Sunday, August 28 on the Pearl River about five miles north of the Ross Barnett Reservoir by two Mississippi alligator hunters, Jim Denson and Richie Denson, both from Madison.

The record-setting alligator officially measured 10-feet-2-inches long.

The alligator had been captured and tagged as "Yellow 401" back in 2009 as part of a research project. At that time, the alligator measured at the same length, 10-feet-2-inches, and was captured less than 100 yards from where the Densons killed it.

According to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP), there have been over 800 alligators captured and tagged in Mississippi since 2007.

Back in 1984, a wild female alligator of the same length was captured in Florida. For many years, that was the world record for the longest free-ranging wild female alligator ever caught.

However, that record was broken in Florida last year (2021) with a female alligator measuring 10-feet-6.75-inches.

Ricky Flynt, Alligator Program Coordinator for the MDWFP, said that it is possible that "Yellow 410" could be anywhere from 75 to 100 years old, calling it "a world-class alligator specimen."

We'll see if any other monster gators are taken from the Mississippi waters. The 2022 Public Waters Alligator Hunting Season in Mississippi runs through noon on Monday, September 5.