Residents of Florida community stunned by discovery of headless alligator in canal
Residents living along a quiet southeast Cape Coral canal are used to spotting dolphins and stingrays in the water — but a headless alligator? That was a first.
Gloria Baenen made the unusual discovery near her pontoon boat after noticing a strong, fishy odor.
"I said, well, someone said there was a gator but no head," Baenen recalled. "When I went to check, I found it belly-up, floating near the boat."
Mystery in Cape Coral's waters
The alligator, which was missing both its head and tail, drifted away shortly afterward.
Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) searched the surrounding canals but initially came up empty, speculating that the carcass may have been lodged beneath Baenen's boat.
"Outside here, we see stingrays and dolphins numerous times," Baenen said. "Never a gator—and never like this."
A search team, aided by scent dogs, later relocated the remains. The decomposing body — now largely skeletal — was found in shallow water, swarming with flies.
FWC officers removed the carcass from the canal and transferred it to deeper waters to allow for natural decomposition.
"Yeah, because it stinks," Baenen noted. "I don't understand how a headless alligator could be so newsworthy, but it's kind of cool."
Despite the curiosity, the discovery has raised concerns among neighbors about how the alligator died — and whether it was the result of poaching.
"I hope that whoever did it, if it was poached, they get caught," Baenen said. "That's not a good thing."
Officials said the incident remains under active investigation.
