Roaming the treacherous swamps, ponds, and piney woods spanning the Florida–Alabama state line, Two-Toed Tom is a legendary, 14-foot demon alligator famed for decades of relentless livestock slaughter and supernatural resilience. The beast earned its moniker after losing all but two digits on its front foot to a steel trap, leaving a distinct, unmistakable print in the mud wherever it killed. First brought to national prominence in Carl Carmer’s 1934 chronicle Stars Fell on Alabama, local accounts describe “Old Tom” as a massive, red-eyed saurian possessing hide so thick that lead rifle shot bounced off his back like dried peas. The beast terrorized local farmers, systematically tearing apart heavy livestock and evading civil sharpshooters who spent weeks hunting the swamps.

The defining turning point in the creature’s lore occurred when an outraged farmer named Pap Haines attempted to blow the monster out of a local pond by detonating 15 syrup buckets filled with dynamite. While the explosion obliterated the pond, Tom survived and retreated south into Sand Hammock Lake near Esto, Florida, where local residents frequently heard the giant gator bellow in response to the steam whistle of the Alabama-Florida Lumber Company sawmill in Noma. Sightings of the monstrous two-toed tracks continued into the late 20th century, with fresh trails documented on Boynton Island along the Choctawhatchee River in 1972 and again in the 1980s. Today, the town of Esto honors the persistent legend with its annual Two-Toed Tom Festival.