12-foot alligator captured on Florida highway

June 20 (UPI) -- The third largest alligator a Leon County gator trapper ever captured has been euthanized a few days after it recently got hurt crossing a Florida highway.

The massive reptile, weighing 463 lbs, was crossing Interstate 10 in Tallahassee on June 3 when Vaughan's Gators, LLC received a call, as the Monroe Street exit was shutdown to keep drivers away.

Leon County gator trapper Broderick Vaughan captured the 12-foot, 1-inch long gator, which he said was the third biggest he's ever captured, with the largest at 12-feet, 8 inches.

Vaughan got his snare pole around the alligator, taped its snout shut and loaded the gator on his truck.

The alligator had been hit on the highway by a semi-truck, which led to it being euthanized days later due to the severity of the injuries.

"He had been hit by a truck," Vaughan said. "His head was cracked up pretty bad."

Florida's estimated 1.3 million alligators are more aggressive this time of year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, because it's the middle of mating season.