A misunderstood species
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=narf4NzlFKo&feature=share
Coming from Hilton Head Island, where the alligator populations is extremely high considering the population density of humans, I grew up close by to ponds alligators. Much like dolphins and white tail deer, seeing these larger animals in the wild is always a pleasure.
In the video, a golfer at the RBC Heritage Golf Tournament's caddy shoo's away an American Alligator. The alligator remains extremely calm, and the alligator gently glides away into the water. As we saw on our field trip, alligators are not the viciously aggressive reptile that everyone thinks of. We approached a mother with several young babies and a few young juveniles from just a few yards away and there was no aggressive display shown. This makes them a good species to live in close proximity to humans, as long as we respect their space.
*Please do not be stupid and purposely try to get too close to an alligator. They are extremely quick on land and in water. And they have one of the strongest bite forces per square inch of any animal on Earth.
1 comment:
Nice information, Chris. As you probably know, humans can turn gators into "nuisance" animals by feeding them, causing the gators to lose their fear of humans. If DNR determines that an alligator poses a threat, the animal will be killed. (Relocation isn't an option because of gators' amazing homing abilities.) "Remember: A fed gator is a dead gator." http://srelherp.uga.edu/alligators/allmis.htm
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