ORLANDO, Fla. — Gatorland, the “Alligator Capital of the World,” isn’t just home to gators. The park is also home to crocodiles, and its newest hatchlings have a lineage that’s tied to the park’s past.


What You Need To Know

  • Gatorland has welcomed several baby crocodiles

  • The crocs hatched over Father's Day weekend; the park says they are descendants of the famous Bonecrusher

  • Bonecrusher was a 15 foot long crocodile that arrived at the park in the 1950s

Several baby crocodiles that hatched at the park over Father’s Day weekend are third generation descendants of the park's famous Bonecrusher, the large American Crocodile that came to the park in the 1950s.

The eggs were retrieved from the nest inside the exhibit of Bonecrusher’s son, Bonecrusher II who lives in the souther part of the park. After they were incubated, the eggs were watched over by Gatorland’s Animal Care Team as they hatched. The “births” were shared live on the park’s social media channels.

“This is an incredibly special event for all us here as we welcome the third generation of Bonecrushers into our Gatorland family,” Gatorland president and CEO Mark McHugh said. “The original Bonecrusher was such an iconic symbol of the early years at Gatorland, and the continuation of his lineage is symbolic of the generation growth of our family park.”

In this file photo, Owen Godwin, the founder of Gatorland, sits atop Bonecrusher, the park's famous crocodile. (Gatorland)
In this file photo, Owen Godwin, the founder of Gatorland, sits atop Bonecrusher, the park's famous crocodile. (Gatorland)

The baby crocodiles are about seven to eight inches long, but once fully grown, they will be about 14 feet long. Bonecrusher, a star at the park back in the day, measured 15 feet long and weighed 1,080 pounds.

Gatorland founder Owen Godwin called Bonecrusher the largest known crocodile in the world and famously offered a $1,000 reward to anyone could could prove him wrong. No one ever did.

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