Mr. Dominowski said he was approximately 25 feet from the gator when he started snapping pictures. He said as they moved closer the gator slipped into the water and disappeared. He did not see it surface again though he admits to not hanging around very long to look for it. Mr. Dominowski estimates the alligator was at least 6 feet long.
Judging by the photos below this is a very healthy alligator. The width of its head, neck, and back are impressive. I was also impressed with the thickness of this alligator's tail. This guy seems to be doing just fine in the Lampasas River. There is nothing in the photos to judge the size of the gator accurately but the characteristics seen in this specimen lead me to believe it is decent sized and, while possibly young, no mere juvenile. It would not surprise me a bit if it turns out Mr. Dominowski's estimate on its length turns out to be on the low side.
Enjoy the pictures below. As far as I know this is the only place online that you will be able to see them. A big thank you to Eric Dominowski for allowing me to post the pictures here.
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The tail is massive on this gator. Hope no one swims near here.
ReplyDeleteChris B.
Dallas, Texas
Um we use to but im not going any more
DeleteI agree that it looks longer than six feet.
ReplyDeleteIt's actually about 12 feet.
DeleteThat's what I was thinking
DeleteIt is no way 12 ft.It is between 6 to 8 ft.I was raised fishing on Stillhouse Lake and the Lampasas river.The gators have been in the river for many many years.I have seen a few over the years.I say one when I was in my 12 ft Jon boat and it was 11 ft.Most people fish in the river but a few swim .Like above gravel crossing .The gators don't bother you and have never killed anyone.You might get chased off by a bull gator during mating season or a mother on her nest.All these people freaking out.Their is only a few in the Lampasas river and they haven't ever been found in the main lake.We have over 500,000 gators in Texas .Most are in South East Texas near the coast and in East Texas.Only one person has ever been killed by a gator in Texas.It was in a bayou in East Texas and in 2015.The man and his girlfriend were warned about a 11 ft gator near the marine and not to go in.It was around midnight and the drunk couple went in the water.The man was killed in 5 minutes.Later a concerned citizen killed the gator which was bs to do.It was not the gators fault because of stupid people.They could of relocated.The reason Texas doesn't have bunch of attacks and some deaths by gators is called common sense .Local and tourists in Florida many times don't use common sense .Enjoy are lakes, river,streams and coast .Just use common sense.God bless Texas.
DeleteLeave the gators alone and they will leave you alone.
DeleteWtf!! I swim in the lampasas river all the time with friends we have a nice swimming hole. I hope we do not ever come across a monster like this. I heard bout gators bein around I just never beleived it!!
ReplyDeleteI lived along the Lampasas near Highway 195 back in 1998 and 1999 we saw a four foot gator most of them summers there.
ReplyDeleteI told you fools several times I used to run trout lines at night and she was always out and not afraid of us at all she is dangerous stay out of the river! Several ppl laughed at me when I told them about her and one was letting their kids swim rite there where the pic was taking just up stream from alligator island thank God she has plenty of food but it is still just a matter of time before she snags a kid! I heard her drag wild hogs in the water at night the hog would scream for a min and all would go quit again. She was almost as long as my 16ft Lowe John boat she is every bit of 13ft if not more there are several 4ft-10ft in the river also! Be careful out ther and happy fishing!
ReplyDeleteAnd it's people like you that will set off a frenzy and folks will be out to hunt it down. All these years and she's done nothing. Let her be. You wouldn't want her coming to ur house and attacking you....so stay out of hers.
DeleteIt's for safety? I mean I get what you mean but only if she kills someone go out and kill her? Buy if someone was messing with her like honestly! We're not saying go kill her just stay away from that area Okay? Thank you.
DeleteGators are attracted to the sound of splashing water. To them it's an animal in distress. So yea a swimmer could be mistaken for an injured animal. Don't risk it.
DeleteI've known about gators down there since late 80's . But nobody listens to me.
ReplyDeleteSeen that gator before followed it with my boat about 2 years ago. At the time it was 8 to 9 feet at least. I've seen plenty of small gators in there. Swim in there all the time.
ReplyDeletei would love to hunt it. nice pair of boots then and great eating for a week indeed.
ReplyDeletePlease dont, were lucky to have such a specimen this far in central texas.
DeleteI would love to see that gator hunt you and make a nice meal
DeleteI agree.....I've heard of them being in the river but never been lucky enough to see one.....leave it alone and it'll leave you alone..
DeleteI am a retired Natural Resources Specialist/ Park Ranger and worked at Stllhouse Hollow Lake. This species has been native to the lampassas River for many years, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens will fine and take away your guns when they catch you. Stay away from them and leave them alone. They are a PROTECTED SPECIES!!!
DeleteI am a retired Emergency Communications Officer for Bell County and there have been alligators in the Lampasas River for at least 30 plus years, as a kid my grandpa told me there were gators there and I did not really believe him...he was right...
ReplyDeleteThat gator is at least, 7.5 to 8ft long and at least 3ft across! This is a dangerous animal, and everyone needs to think twice before jumping into this river. It doesn't matter if it has plenty of food this gator would have no problem taking down a full grown person!
ReplyDeleteThat gator has been there for years. I remember it being in a cove down the street from my grandparents' house off of FM1670. It's gotten bigger.
ReplyDeleteI would hope that ( if needed ) this Gator would be trapped and relocated if necessary. If there are too many of them , then of course , other measures taken to insure peoples safety !
ReplyDeleteWe have a ranch on the river. Near youngsport. We see them frequently. Seen one that was 10ft in 2012.
ReplyDeleteI agree kill it and make some boots
ReplyDeleteThat is one big gator - looks 12 feet in length but there is no real way to tell from this image without something in the background we can use for scale. There are gators in every body of water in all the gulf coast states. They really travel all over the state and move from body of water to body of water all the time looking for nice new places to hang out and find food. My good friend has 30 acres with 4 ponds and he always has gators in his ponds. They just show up all the time - different ones that are just passing through. He has dogs so he feeds them cheap dog food and they leave his dogs alone. I would watch the dogs hang out around the pond and bark at the gators but the gators did not pay them any attention. The gators were nothing like this one and only 3 - 4 feet long and docile. I lived on Still House hollow lake for 4 years and Belton lake for 12 years and there are gators in both of those lakes and I swam all the time there an never a problem. I would think somebody needs to catch this gator and take him to a place where it cannot bother humans. I believe all animals have the right to live...Gator would make some nice boots and gator balls though.
ReplyDeleteJust curious as to why you would think that all alligators travel all the time? Alligators are very territorial animals. And with that maybe you need to do some research on them. An alligator is tolerant of humans but some bulls will attack for no reason so will the female if she has babies anywhere near her.
DeleteI think it's awesome that they're there. I think the idea of capturing and relocating a creature that is living its life in its home, just for the convenience and safety of people who intrude on that space, is ludicrous. So many beautiful creatures, dangerous and otherwise, have gone from indigenous to extinct from Central Texas, and for what? Because we can't respect an environment that belonged to them long before we settled here? Whether they managed to survive here on their own, or if they're the result of people dumping their "pets" into the wild, they're no danger if you give them the respect they deserve. The more natural landscape we steal from the creatures these reptiles feed on, the more of an asset to our environment they become.
ReplyDeleteI agree :-)
Delete**like**
DeleteIf you think that humans are invading on them... maybe the whole human population needs to be fixed so that we don't multiply to much.
DeleteI agree! With you too Chelsea..
DeleteEasy for those who don't live or work near here to say. Why don't you take your own advice and leave us alone?
DeleteGators don't attack unless you corner them or get to close to a nest
ReplyDeletethey have always been in that river i ran a ranch near Oakalla and they were there and that was 15 years ago
ReplyDeletethey have always been there 15 years ago i worked on a ranch in Oakalla they were there then
ReplyDeleteIt's like the snakes and swimming armadillos... it happens, but it's kind of better that we don't know, or think about it. been there for years, met my share of wildlife, and we never had an issue, just wouldn't leave a child outside the 'herd' of people. You've all seen that one stray gazelle in the river.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason this gator looks fake. I am not saying the man is not truthful but it looks a little strange.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I do believe you are correct. This particular picture may be photo shopped. Look at the reflection in some of them. And with every alligator documentary I have watched it shows the gator completely submerging and getting wet as he floats. Not that high out the water and not wet at all.
DeleteYou may think this image is fake, and it may well be, but if you YouTube alligator in stillhouse lake, I have two videos I posted on there of an alligator near the island on the lampasas on two different occasions. They ARE in there. Lets just leave them be.
DeleteYeah cause that gator so ain't on the rivers edge on a sloping bank .......
DeleteWhats the bounty of this beast? Looks like we could make a tv show out of it.
ReplyDeleteHell ya finally sombody with a brain leave it alone. We are far worse than. any other animal on the planet.
ReplyDeleteIndeed! It'll only hurt someone if it's not respected, and it deserves far more respect and space than we do.
DeleteHow. about. instead of moveing or killing an animal. so it can't bother humans why don't. those humans just move and realize. that we aren't. the only creatures. that should be
ReplyDeleteSwim, fish, kayak there all the time.. Swam in the Lampasas river for all of my life. Let it be, and leave them alone.
ReplyDeleteI agree I have kayaked and fished there for a few years now. I grew up in east Texas where we swim with gators around all the time. Like most Americans they are looking for an easy meal not obnoxious fat headed idiots.
DeleteThe clock is now ticking on this gator just enjoying life in a secluded section of the river. Just a matter of time before we see a FB posting with it hanging from a hook.
ReplyDeleteI see him every time I go out he is definitely bigger than 6 foot. The one I see is like 10ft long and there is more than one !!
ReplyDeleteAwesome
ReplyDeleteI grew up in the bayous of SE Texas where alligators are plentiful. The fact that a 4 year old post about a single alligator is still active is comical. They are very tolerant of people and like said above, they will not attack unless provoked or your near a mothers nest. Crocodiles are aggresive, not alligators. Just keep your little dogs close by. ; )
ReplyDeleteLooks like some good eatin
ReplyDeleteGreat photos of a large rubber smiley fake gator. Look close folks, by the way I grew up in Lampasas and Kempner and Cove and Oakalla and all we ever saw were large catfish and cotton mouth water snakes.
ReplyDeleteReally? How'd these idiots kill it, then?
Deletehttp://m.tdtnews.com/news/article_54e53c44-f528-11e4-bb96-f38ce804c613.html?mode=jqm
That gator is protected by the state, ask any game warden is this area.
ReplyDeleteThe game warden already knows about the gators and they are protected.
ReplyDeleteSouthern GA guy here.... We swim in creeks with gators on a regular basis since i was a kid. People/media like to blow things out of proportion and they have no clue what they are talking about. Go ahead and look at how many people are attacked by gators and or killed. Don't be afraid of what you don't understand or have experienced!
ReplyDeletepeople gators only attack if you are messing with it
ReplyDeleteDo a search for 'Texas alligator kills late-night swimmer'
ReplyDeleteMy son and I caught a 16 inch gator on the river last week while fishing off 2484 just south of the bridge... It was a good educational experience for my son to hold and see one up close and get some pictures before releasing in back into the river.
ReplyDeleteI live by cedar gap!!!! Y'all our gators alone!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have lived in the area since 73 and I remember reading about a man yrs ago who caught a gator in the stillhouse. He took it home and contacted a game warden who told him they are not only endogenous to the area but are also an endangered species. Therefore killing or even capturing them carries a healthy fine as well as possible imprisonment. Just so you all know before you start hunting.
ReplyDeleteI have lived in the area since 73 and I remember reading about a man yrs ago who caught a gator in the stillhouse. He took it home and contacted a game warden who told him they are not only endogenous to the area but are also an endangered species. Therefore killing or even capturing them carries a healthy fine as well as possible imprisonment. Just so you all know before you start hunting.
ReplyDeleteI hope they capture and relocate her. It's just a matter time before someones child comes too close to her or eggs she may have laid.
ReplyDeleteI would not want one of my kids to accidentally come across her. At her size I hope they capture and relocate her before something tragic happens and they are forced to kill her.
ReplyDeleteThey make a loud snapping sound when they miss. Most of the time all you see is the nose and eyes. I would not get too close.
ReplyDeleteSome idiots killed that gator :( They didn't have to kill it, they could have just cut the line. But, then they wouldn't have had anything to brag about on Facebook.
ReplyDeletehttp://m.tdtnews.com/news/article_54e53c44-f528-11e4-bb96-f38ce804c613.html?mode=jqm
Well I sure won't be taking my family there.
ReplyDeleteJust leave her alone don't mess with her she will be fine
ReplyDeleteHer name is Bessie. She is gentle, likes her belly rubbed, and prefers beef to pork.
ReplyDeleteThe gators have been in there over 20 years..biggest I've heard of is 10-12 feet. Lots of deer and people's pets have disappeared over the years..
ReplyDeleteIve contacted the corps of engineers for stillhouse hollow lake....they have confirmed gators are there and they have been monitoring the gators. I was told the gators stay up the Lampasas river wnere the water is warmer and havent come even close to the big portion of the lake. Was told its because the water is colder & cleaner then they like, so they stay up the river. I have fished, swimmed & went camping on that lake for many years now and haven't seen a gator yet. Once I do..that will be the end of me ever getting in that lake again.
ReplyDeleteRemove it or shoot it. A kid is going to get eaten.
ReplyDeleteI was swimming there.. had never been there before... my first time swimming in Texas or still house...at the cliffs we climbed down. and I was just swimming around far off the edge three of us in the water... something hard and scaly right under me while kicking to swim..made solid contact .....my heart stopped I had an idea what it could be in that one split second...by it's sheer size and the muscle and solidness of it it must have been massive I played rule it out in my mind... it wasn't a turtle or fish or nothing like that wasn't a log or rock or nothing ...it was just there one second ..gone the next...kick startled it and it swam away...big old alligator....I was so scared...I knew I would have been it's dinner.wonder if I kicked it's face to this day as it was opening it's jaws to bite me..i flew over to the edge in like a second flat and climbed out as fast as I could ...I wasn't splashing before I hadn't bothered it ..I was just swimming...I looked and scanned the water constantly looking for a sign of it..never saw it never would have...I asked ppl up on the ledge to look too they said they didn't see nothing but I didn't want to scare anyone either if I was wrong...now I know for sure I kicked an alligator...and could have died if I hadn't kicked it while it was swimming right underneath me stalking me....I still think to this day how scared I was that I could have died....people have been going to that jump forever and there is no Bank to rest or dry itself or have any kind of habitat or nest... so no reason to be out in open water except for hunting...it didn't matter when they are hungry they will attack ...I will never go again and never ever let my kids swim near there. It is only a matter of time ppl.they are dangerous animals and lethal...please beware...also I think killing monsters like that is tragic but they are not protected game wardens always just shoot them anyways if they can't wrangle them for public safety reasons same should be done the public and community is more important than a killers territorial claim...and should be dealt with as such...while they are usually unnoticed until something happens should not overlook precautionary measures...or the tragety of losing a person over the not wanting to take any action because someone might be offended ..
ReplyDeleteI grew up on on Stillhouse Hollow lake in the Lampasas river since the 70s . There have been alligators in the Lampasas river since then . We had a big flood in 1992 and pond off Stillhouse Hollow Lake had to have a 11 foot alligator removed from it. But for the most part the alligators stay in the Lampasas river . They seem to not like the lake . We used to put our boats in at gravel crossing on the Lampasas river and fished way up the river on the gravel banks where we would wade fish. This is before we realize there was big gators in that area. I’ve come to realize that in areas where there is a lot of boat traffic or a lot of people. The gators tend to stay away from those areas. They really don’t like to be around people or real loud noises . Now if it is a noise that they consider that is their prey then that’s a different story. They do hurt other animals like hogs , raccoons, possums, armadillos, bobcats, dogs, cats , Fish etc ... I also think if they have the opportunity they may go after a real small child . The only person that has been killed in Texas was a guy that went swimming in a Bayou at night and he’s Texas. He and his girlfriend were warned not to go in there and that there was a 12 foot gator that was there. He was drunk and killed within five minutes. The people that are killed by gators in Florida are usually tourists The people that are killed by gators in Florida are usually tourists The gators in Florida are usually fed and have lost their fear of people. I’ve traveled too many other countries and been around crocodiles and some of them are a whole different story. If you leave alligators alone and for the most part they will leave you alone . I want to alligator gets over 10 feet or larger. They can get territorial and sometimes do need to be relocated . Many people don’t like this but this is the way it is . The good thing about the bell county allocators as we don’t have a real large population or a big problem with them. They live in the river and we have the lake. We can enjoy the river in a boat and they can swim and live there. If we need to swim then we have the lake .Enjoy nature . Those who say kill it . I bet bet God is proud of you .Humans have already over populating the earth �� and screwed it up. Why don’t you get fixed !!!!! Lol �� Stay safe and God bless . Do something to help others !!!!
ReplyDeleteI grew up on the Stillhouse and the Lampasas river since early 70's.Gators have been in the river since then but never heard or seen them in the lake.I went to college in East Texas and fished with many big gators.If you leave them alone then they will leave you alone.During mating season from March thru June.The bull gators can become aggressive and females protecting their nests.I would not swim around a gator bigger than 4 foot.I did a lot of wade fishing between gravel crossing and youngsport bridge and never had any problems.I even fished at night in East Texas with gators but I would not do that now. lol It all comes down to common since.I do believe once a gator gets a certain size than it can become a problem .This usually starts to happen after 9 ft or bigger.I would not swim in the river or let my dogs swim in the river.Just because people do it in other places .Doesn't mean that you aren't tempting fate.They do have a really small brain.Their has only been one person killed by a gator in Texas.In 2015 their was an idiot from Missouri who swam at night in a bayou .After being warned about a 12 ft gator nearby.The gator killed him in like 5 mins.Now Florida has way more attacks and deaths do to people not use common sense .The gators are native to Texas and we need to respect them.We only need to relocate them .If they are too big or become a problem.People need to leave them alone.Anyone that says these are fake pic's is an idiot.I have seen gators up the Lampasas,Leon,Brazos rivers and many other Central Texas rivers.They are living dinosaurs and really cool.Enjoy your wildlife while can.They might not be around in a few years.The way people are treating mother earth.God bless and stay safe. :)
ReplyDeleteI had a pet alligator about a foot long in the early 70’s. My dad bought a place on the South Lampasas. I was in the 4th grade playing with with her near our tank 70 yards from the South Lampasas River when the pet alligator went into the tank and I haven’t seen her since.
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