Headless, tailless alligator carcass mysteriously surfaces in Florida canal, alarming locals

There was no topless bar, but the alligator was definitely headless. 

Wildlife officials can’t make heads or tails of a lone alligator carcass that was missing both its head and tail after it mysteriously surfaced in a southeast Florida canal.

The guillotined gator was discovered by Cape Coral resident Gloria Baenen and her friend on May 13 after she noticed a “strong, fishy odor” near her pontoon boat moored in one of the many canals in the area, WBBH reported.  

“Outside here, we see stingrays and dolphins numerous times,” Baenen told the station. “Never a gator — and never like this.”

“Someone said there was a gator but no head,” she added. “I found it — belly-up, floating near the boat.”

She alerted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which came to inspect the dead animal.

The reptile’s remains had drifted away, so FWC officials deployed scent dogs to track it down.

The canines soon located its body surrounded by a cloud of flies and reduced mostly to bones.

The officials then dragged the decapitated gator’s remains out of the canal and into deeper water to allow it to further decompose, according to WBBH. 

“A FWC officer responded to the scene to investigate the incident. This is currently still an active investigation,” FWC officials said in an email to McClatchy News. “It is worth noting that it is illegal to harvest or possess an alligator outside of alligator hunting season.”

Alligator hunting season in Florida runs from Aug. 15 to Nov. 1 and is only open to permit-holders 18 and older and is limited to specific areas. Hunters are also required to report an alligator kill to the authorities by the end of the season. 

The permits are notoriously difficult to obtain.

“The Statewide Alligator Hunt is a highly sought after limited entry hunt; there are often more than 15,000 applicants that will apply for approximately 7,000 permits,” according to the Florida wildlife officials.

The discovery of the headless gator has sparked concerns among residents that an illegal hunter or poacher could be lurking in the area.

Alligator heads and skulls are considered a coveted trophy for hunters. The reptile noggins are also sold as trinkets on the internet, while alligator tails are often used in culinary dishes and are known for their tender meat, according to the Miami Herald. 

Last week’s finding was also similar to a disturbing discovery of mangled alligators missing their heads and limbs in Fort Myers Shores – about 20 miles away from Cape Coral – in 2024. State officials were stumped by those carcasses as well. 

“I don’t understand how a headless alligator could be so newsworthy,” Baenen wondered, “but it’s kind of cool.”