Class Mascot: Alligator mississippiensis

Our class mascot should be the American alligator or Alligator mississippiensis. Compared to all of the reptiles and amphibians our class has come across on our field trips, nothing was more amazing than seeing these creatures in their natural habitat. Although the salamanders, lizards, frogs, snakes, and turtles were fascinating, nothing compared to the incredible size and beauty of the American alligator. Although our class only came across the alligators on one field trip to Donnelly State Park, when we discovered these creatures at the first site, everyone was amazed. First, the smaller alligators were seen on one side. They got startled and all jumped in the water which in return startled me! As we proceeded to look on the other side of the bridge, three juvenile alligators were spotted. We knew the mother must be close by, and sure enough she was tucked away watching closely in the water. She will continue to watch her young for about two years providing them protecting from predators until they are large enough to fend for themselves. The juvenile alligators were about six inches long and had a beautiful orange striped pattern along their dorsum. After this site we preceded to the last site where a huge alligator was spotted along with many others. All were basking along the side of the water. The first one we saw was breath taking. The scutes along its back were very raised and the alligator was about eleven feet long. Some alligators can reach up to 14 feet and 400-1000 pounds. The adult males are larger than the females. These creatures prefer to live in freshwater habitats where they spend time in the water swimming as well as outside the water basking.

If alligators were our class mascot, it could be our duty to help preserve the species that was once considered endangered. Their large size often scares humans and leads to them being considered a threat. Relocating alligators does not work because of their extreme territoriality. Eventually the alligators can find their way back to their original habitat and this leads to the alligator being caught and killed. If you noticed at Donnelly State Park there were signs reading “A fed alligator equals a dead alligator”. Meaning, people feed the alligators, which leads them to come to trust humans. The alligators will then get extremely close to humans that are in the area in hopes of getting more food. This often scares humans since these creatures are so large and powerful. Humans report the alligators as a dangerous threat and the alligator is then shot and eliminated to prevent them from harming humans. Educating humans about these alligators is extremely important in the conservation of the species.