What if the largest alligator ever killed by a hunter measured a staggering 19.2 feet in length? That's exactly what was reportedly claimed on January 2, 1890, when a young Edward Avery McIlhenny — long before he'd become synonymous with hot sauce — allegedly brought down this massive reptile. There's no photographic evidence or documentation to corroborate the existence of such an enormous gator. Still, the record remains unchallenged to this day, as alligator hunters continue to chase the prestige of bagging the biggest specimen each year. Could the man behind Tabasco be spinning a tall tale? It's worth noting that McIlhenny went on to create and found Tabasco sauce, which makes the whole story a remarkably effective piece of brand mythology.
The Facts
Tales of enormous catches are a time-honored tradition in tight-knit communities, so it's only natural to wonder: did McIlhenny really shoot the biggest alligator ever recorded? The honest answer is that we simply cannot confirm the claim — it rests entirely on one man's unverifiable account. When modern biologists have examined the largest known alligator skull and run the calculations, the estimated size comes out closer to 15 feet rather than 19. Even so, a good story can sometimes serve a brand better than cold, hard facts — particularly when there's a veneer of plausibility to it. McIlhenny's method of measurement, for instance, lends the account a certain credibility: he reportedly laid his shotgun end over end along the body of the alligator, and since he knew the exact length of the weapon, he arrived at his figure of 19.2 feet.
Across the hundreds of thousands of square miles of swamps and bayous stretching through the southeastern United States, alligators can grow to truly impressive sizes. In states like Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida, the reptiles are abundant enough that some hunters earn a living wage pursuing them during brief, state-regulated hunting seasons. The prize targets — only the very largest gators — are typically dispatched with a single, precise shot to the brain. Yet despite generations of determined hunters taking to the water, not one has ever come anywhere near matching McIlhenny's claimed 19.2-foot record.