denise
08-05-2008, 08:47 PM
The American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, is among the most recognizable of all animals in Florida. Long feared and poorly understood, this species affects the whole environment that it lives in (known as a keystone species, more later), and represents one of the first success stories for conservation efforts of the last century.
http://www.dayo.com/fishid/alligatorleggy_222.jpg
Alligator in the Everglades
Photo courtesy of Karen Byrne
Up until 60 years ago, alligators were wiped out from most of their range due to habitat loss and hunting for their skin/hide. Numbers of this magnificent reptile dropped to all time low, so they were protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. As soon as all alligator hunting was banned, alligator numbers bounced back in all areas. By 1987, the alligator was fully recovered and ready to be removed from the endangered species list.
Although alligator numbers now have fully recovered, several "look-alikes" (crocodiles and caimans) are still endangered. Therefore the Fish and Wildlife Service continues to protect the alligator under the Endangered Species Act as “threatened due to similarity of appearance.” The harvesting of alligators and legal trade in alligator products, still continues to this day, in order to prevent the illegal hunting and trafficking of endangered “look-alike” species.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/alligatorinwater_1.jpg
Close up of Alligator
Alligators provide an important role by acting as a "key-stone species" in their environment, meaning that without that particular species, many other animals would simply perish and die. Throughout their adult life alligators excavate "gator holes", using their mouth, claws, and tails. This unique gator hole fills with water during the rainy season, and holds moisture even after the rains stop. During the dry season, and particularly during extended droughts, these gator holes provide life sustaining water for various fish, insects, snakes, turtles, birds, and various mammals, in addition to the actual alligator itself.
Alligators nest and breed between March and May. Females build a large, where she lays up to 60 eggs. As this vegetation decays, the heat it emits incubates the eggs. The eggs incubate for 2 months, and all the time the female watches and defend her nest. Amazingly, the sex of the baby hatchlings depends on the temperature the eggs hatch at, eggs above 91° F, result in males being produced, and eggs that hatch below 86° F produce females! As the young hatch, they call out and the momma gator assists them by digging them out of the nest. Initially they head towards the water, but stay with their mother for up to two years. After that they head out and establish their own territories.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/alligatoragnes1.jpg
Alligator in Wakulla Springs.
Photo courtesy of Agnes Milowka (www.AgnesMilowka.com)
The alligator is usually a solitary animal. They hunt often, catching and eating anything they can; including tortoises, turtles, fish, birds and small mammals. They are well equipped for hunting, having up to 80 teeth in their mouth at one time!
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/alligatorinhand_1.jpg
As teeth wear down they are replaced. In their lifetime alligators can go through 3,000 teeth!!
The usually live in warm wetlands and swamps, but now-days are habitats are so overpopulated, alligators manage to make their way into almost every available piece of freshwater in Florida!!
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/gatorinpeacock1aa.jpg
Alligator at Peacock Springs
Photo courtesy of Manual Schramm
Over their lifetime alligators can grow to more than 10 feet, weigh in excess of 500 pounds, and can live for more than 50 years! If they get to five years of age, they usually live to full life expectancy, as adult alligators are safe from other predators and seem more immune to diseases that other animals suffer.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/Alligator1.jpg
Resident alligator in Peacock Springs, North Florida
Photo courtesy of Manual Schramm
Unfortunately due to some isolated attacks on humans, alligators have earned a bad reputation with most people. Most alligator attacks have been on swimmers and snorkelers on the surface (which may sound like animals in distress/prey to hunting gators), or territorial based. It is evident however, that the few human attacks do not overshadow that fact that humans have slain more than 10 million alligators!! Indeed alligators have more to fear from humans than we do of them, we saved them from extinction once before, and like most other species now with us, their fate now rests with us.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/Alligator2.jpg
Resident alligator at Alexander Springs chilling out
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/alligatorfederico_3.jpg
Resident female alligator at Alexander Springs (10/19/2008)
Photo Courtesy of Federico Arismendi
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/alligatorfederico_1.jpg
Close up shot of the resident female alligator at Alexander Springs (10/19/2008)
Photo Courtesy of Federico Arismendi
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/alligatorfederico_2.jpg
Back shot of the resident female alligator at Alexander Springs (10/19/2008)
Photo Courtesy of Federico Arismendi
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/bufordalligators.jpg
A divers worse nightmare!!!
http://www.dayo.com/fishid/alligatorleggy_222.jpg
Alligator in the Everglades
Photo courtesy of Karen Byrne
Up until 60 years ago, alligators were wiped out from most of their range due to habitat loss and hunting for their skin/hide. Numbers of this magnificent reptile dropped to all time low, so they were protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. As soon as all alligator hunting was banned, alligator numbers bounced back in all areas. By 1987, the alligator was fully recovered and ready to be removed from the endangered species list.
Although alligator numbers now have fully recovered, several "look-alikes" (crocodiles and caimans) are still endangered. Therefore the Fish and Wildlife Service continues to protect the alligator under the Endangered Species Act as “threatened due to similarity of appearance.” The harvesting of alligators and legal trade in alligator products, still continues to this day, in order to prevent the illegal hunting and trafficking of endangered “look-alike” species.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/alligatorinwater_1.jpg
Close up of Alligator
Alligators provide an important role by acting as a "key-stone species" in their environment, meaning that without that particular species, many other animals would simply perish and die. Throughout their adult life alligators excavate "gator holes", using their mouth, claws, and tails. This unique gator hole fills with water during the rainy season, and holds moisture even after the rains stop. During the dry season, and particularly during extended droughts, these gator holes provide life sustaining water for various fish, insects, snakes, turtles, birds, and various mammals, in addition to the actual alligator itself.
Alligators nest and breed between March and May. Females build a large, where she lays up to 60 eggs. As this vegetation decays, the heat it emits incubates the eggs. The eggs incubate for 2 months, and all the time the female watches and defend her nest. Amazingly, the sex of the baby hatchlings depends on the temperature the eggs hatch at, eggs above 91° F, result in males being produced, and eggs that hatch below 86° F produce females! As the young hatch, they call out and the momma gator assists them by digging them out of the nest. Initially they head towards the water, but stay with their mother for up to two years. After that they head out and establish their own territories.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/alligatoragnes1.jpg
Alligator in Wakulla Springs.
Photo courtesy of Agnes Milowka (www.AgnesMilowka.com)
The alligator is usually a solitary animal. They hunt often, catching and eating anything they can; including tortoises, turtles, fish, birds and small mammals. They are well equipped for hunting, having up to 80 teeth in their mouth at one time!
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/alligatorinhand_1.jpg
As teeth wear down they are replaced. In their lifetime alligators can go through 3,000 teeth!!
The usually live in warm wetlands and swamps, but now-days are habitats are so overpopulated, alligators manage to make their way into almost every available piece of freshwater in Florida!!
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/gatorinpeacock1aa.jpg
Alligator at Peacock Springs
Photo courtesy of Manual Schramm
Over their lifetime alligators can grow to more than 10 feet, weigh in excess of 500 pounds, and can live for more than 50 years! If they get to five years of age, they usually live to full life expectancy, as adult alligators are safe from other predators and seem more immune to diseases that other animals suffer.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/Alligator1.jpg
Resident alligator in Peacock Springs, North Florida
Photo courtesy of Manual Schramm
Unfortunately due to some isolated attacks on humans, alligators have earned a bad reputation with most people. Most alligator attacks have been on swimmers and snorkelers on the surface (which may sound like animals in distress/prey to hunting gators), or territorial based. It is evident however, that the few human attacks do not overshadow that fact that humans have slain more than 10 million alligators!! Indeed alligators have more to fear from humans than we do of them, we saved them from extinction once before, and like most other species now with us, their fate now rests with us.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/Alligator2.jpg
Resident alligator at Alexander Springs chilling out
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/alligatorfederico_3.jpg
Resident female alligator at Alexander Springs (10/19/2008)
Photo Courtesy of Federico Arismendi
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/alligatorfederico_1.jpg
Close up shot of the resident female alligator at Alexander Springs (10/19/2008)
Photo Courtesy of Federico Arismendi
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/alligatorfederico_2.jpg
Back shot of the resident female alligator at Alexander Springs (10/19/2008)
Photo Courtesy of Federico Arismendi
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/bufordalligators.jpg
A divers worse nightmare!!!