The alligator is one
of the largest reptiles found in Florida. It averages
about ten feet in length, but a 17 foot, 5 inch gator
was found in Apopka, Florida in 1956. The alligator
resembles lizards with its long tail and short legs.
It is occasionally confused with the crocodile, but
gators have a rounded snout, are darker in color,
and prefer fresh water.
The gator's eyes, nose,
and ears are all located at the top of its head and
allow it to see, hear, and smell while almost completely
hidden in the water. The American Alligator is only
found in the southeastern United States. The largest
groups are found in Florida, Louisiana, and southern
Georgia. Gators are usually in or near fresh to brackish
water.
JUVENILE AMERICAN ALLIGATOR
The Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium
received two new juvenile alligators (and a baby
crocodile) in October of 2002. They were born during
the summer at Gatorama, an alligator farm in Florida.
We will keep these alligators at the Center until
they get too large to handle safely. At that point
we will trade them in for new baby alligators. When
we traded our previous alligators, they were three
feet long. They can never be released into the wild
because they have learned to associate people with
food. Once they get bigger, they might even attack
an unsuspecting person!
Our alligators are fed three times a week. At each feeding they eat one small
mouse. At first it was difficult to get them used to the routine, but now they
are excellent eaters! We feed them in a special cage with water in it, and
they seem to know when it is feeding time.
Both juvenile alligators live in a large aquarium inside the museum. They get
along quite well, and spend most of their time hiding underneath the logs in
the water. This is a typical behavior of most young alligators since their
natural instinct is to hide from potential predators. After they are fed, they
often lie on a log or a rock sticking out of the water on the side of their
cage under the sun lamp. The heat helps them digest their food.
Our alligators are used daily for programs, and they travel throughout south
Florida to educate the public. They are accustomed to being handled, but they
do not particularly enjoy it and will bite if given the chance. Since they
are still so young, they sometimes make a gulping noise, which is a cry for
help. Luckily for us, their mothers do not live at the Center!
The juvenile alligator's adoptive parents may visit it any day of the year
except major holidays. The Center is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday
through Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. |
