According to this story in the Knoxville News Sentinel, a five-foot long alligator was found in Watts Bar Lake near Spring City. The gator was sunning itself on a log when dispatched by a Rhea County wildlife officer. Non-native critters have been moving into Tennessee for some time–fire ants and armadilloes are prime examples–but an alligator is something else. As with pythons in Florida swamps, the alligator was probably brought to Tennessee by some person who, when the reptile grew too large for the trailer, loosed it in the lake. (The photo below is not the one found in Tennessee.)
Tennessee Guy 