American Alligator

American Alligator

This Alligator was photographed at Largo Nature Park in Largo, Florida. I was there with some friends from our Meetup Group. You can find a different Gator in a previous post from the same nature park.

People who live in places like Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, basically from Texas east to South Carolina, see these creatures every day. We are used to living with them and know their behaviors. To a Northerner, this is one of the scariest creatures alive. Yet, Alligators are really very docile.

There are two kinds of Crocodilians in the United States; American Alligators, who are typically docile except when there are young around (as with any animal), Crocodiles are more aggressive. The strange thing about this statement is that of the two, the Alligator is the largest. Strange, isn't it?

Alligators prefer fresh water and swamps; it has a broader snout with overlapping teeth and darker coloring than Crocodiles. Crocodiles can tolerate salt water better than Alligators because they have salt glands in their mouth that excrete excess salt. Crocodiles can be found in coastal areas throughout the Caribbean and in Southern Florida.

American Alligator

If you read my blog yesterday, you'd have seen a closeup of this 'gator. This spot, at the bottom of the bank in my back yard, seems to be his preferred spot for his afternoon nap. I can see him most every day around 3:00 pm.

This one is fairly young, probably only about 4 1/2 - 5 ft in length. I think he's getting used to me, because he doesn't bother to move when I snap his picture.

Poor thing is missing his front leg; but seems to do fine without it.

American Alligator

American Alligator

I found this guy snoozing on my lawn. He must've been pretty tired, because my camera or my movement didn't wake him up.

In Florida, we cohabitate with 'Gators. They're very afraid of people, so when they see us, they usually make a quick get-a-way. Once in a while, due to people feeding them, they loose they're fear of people. This is a terrible injustice to the 'Gators, since they are then considered a nuisance Alligator and they're usually shot. People need to understand that these creatures know how to get their own food, and they we shouldn't interfere with nature.

Alligators are normally quite docile; but can become aggressive when people come up quickly on them, or when people are near the nest.

American Alligator (Alligator mississippiens) Alligators hibernate to the muddy wallows in cooler months in Northern Florida. They can be found in ponds, swamps, rivers, freshwater and brackish marshes, mangroves, canals and occasionally in the ocean. They are resident in Florida.