Elvis

This article is about Crockett's pet alligator. For the singer, see Elvis Presley.

Elvis
Affilation	Pet alligator of James "Sonny" Crockett
Status	Unknown after Crockett's departure from Metro-Dade in 1989
Episodes Appeared In	Various in Season 1 and Season 2 "When Irish Eyes Are Crying" "Stone's War" "El Viejo" "Love at First Sight" (picture only)

Elvis is the pet alligator of Metro-Dade Detective James "Sonny" Crockett. A former mascot for Crockett's alma mater University of Florida Gators (retired after biting a free safety from the University of Georgia), Crockett took him in as the "resident drug-sniffer and watch gator" of his boat, the St. Vitus Dance. Elvis is known to have separation anxiety, at least in his early days, as he would go (unexpectedly) visit Crockett's marina neighbors, eating food, dumping his "leavings", and trashing their boats while Crockett was working, even taking a bite out of his Buddy Holly record collection once. Though he was supposedly a "watch-gator", Elvis would often sleep on the job, letting bad guys onto his boat--though when awake he would scare interlopers such as Maxwell Dierks, nearly making "dork-meat" out of him when he tried to take Crockett's Daytona with his snarling and hissing. Elvis also had a voracious appetite, eating whole fish, bags of dog food, or anything else just lying around.

The Sun-Sentinel (a South Florida newspaper headquartered in Fort Lauderdale) ran a feature on Elvis in October 1985. It described the big reptile (then about 8 1/2 feet long and weighing 300 pounds) and his duties on the show. Apparently the cast and crew were frightened of him at first but came to consider him a regular.

There were actually two gators used. The show's producers also rented another, called Presley, from the owner.

By 1986 Elvis was only seen occasionally and by 1988 was not seen at all. His status after Crockett left the Metro-Dade Police in 1989 remains unknown.

It is speculated that the character was retired due to budget cuts as a result of Vice's declining ratings, or to increase the more serious tone of Seasons 3-5.

In an homage to the original Elvis, the children's series Clarissa Explains It All (which debuted in 1991) featured a baby alligator by the same name. The title character kept her pet in a kiddie pool.

Elvis is buried at Flamingo Gardens in Davie, Florida, which hosted the "Gator World" attraction that was his home until the latter was closed in 1990. George Harwell, who owned and handled Elvis, then housed him at his nursery in Davie. Information on when Elvis (and Presley) passed away is not available.