Gators Galore

American alligators are usually found in freshwater, in slow-moving rivers. They are also found in swamps, marshes, and lakes. Sailing from Baytown, Texas to Gulfport, Mississippi, through the Intracoastal Waterway, we have anchored out in "gator country". On many occasions we have seen them along the shorelines and on the banks.  Once, while anchoring, an alligator swam out to greet "Little Lara". Alligators can tolerate salt water for only brief periods as they do not have salt glands. The average size for an adult female alligator is 8.2 feet, while the average size male is 11.2 feet. Exceptionally large males can reach a weight of nearly half a ton or 1,000 pounds. The largest recorded alligator found in Louisiana measured 19.2 ft.

Alligator along the shore

Both males and females have an "armored" body with a muscular flat tail. They have four short legs; the front legs have five toes while the back legs have four toes. Alligators have a long snout with upward facing nostrils at the end; this lets them breathe while the rest of the body is underwater. The young can be distinguished from adults by the bright yellow stripes on the tail; adults have dark stripes on the tail.

Female alligators usually remain in a small area. The males occupy areas larger than two square miles. Both males and females extend their ranges during the courting and breeding season. Young alligators remain in the area where they are hatched and where they are protected by their mother. After two to three years, they leave that area in search of food, or are driven out by larger alligators.

Peggy pets an alligator!

Alligators are carnivorous. They have very strong jaws that can crack a turtle shell. They eat fish, snails and other invertebrates, birds, frogs, and mammals that come to the water's edge. They use their sharp teeth to seize and hold prey. Small prey is swallowed whole. If the prey is large, alligator shake it apart into smaller, manageable pieces. If it is very large, alligator bite it, then spin on the long axis of their bodies to tear off easily swallowed pieces. Because alligators will feed on almost anything, they pose a mild threat to humans. Alligators are generally timid towards humans and tend to walk or swim away if one approaches. Dogs and other pets are also sometimes eaten by alligators.

Alligators move on land by two forms of locomotion referred to as "sprawl" and "high walk". The 

The Alligator "High Walk"

sprawl is a forward movement with the belly making contact with the ground and is used to transition to "high walk" or to slither over wet substrate into water. The high walk is an up on four limbs forward motion used for overland travel with the belly well up from the ground. Alligators have also been observed to rise up and balance on their hind legs and semi step forward as part of a forward or upward lunge. However they can not walk on their hind legs for long distances.  Although the alligator has a heavy body and a slow metabolism, it is capable of short bursts of speed, especially in very short lunges.

One interesting aspect of alligator biology is that they undergo periods of dormancy when the weather is cold. They excavate a depression called a “gator hole” along a waterway and use it during dormancy. In areas where the water level fluctuates, alligators dig themselves into hollows in the mud, which fill with water. These tunnels are often as long as 65 feet and provide protection during extreme hot or cold weather. Many other animals also use these burrows after they are abandoned by their creators.

It has been reported that there are more alligators in Louisiana than people by a factor of ten to one.