Natural History: Alligator mississippiensis

 

The scientific Name for the American Alligator is Alligator mississippiensis. I went for a hike at Caw Caw Interpretive Center in Ravenl, SC when I stumbled upon several juveniles enjoying some sun. These were located near the edge of the rice fields where the woods lead into the swamp. They were identified as Alligators because of the rounded snout and all the teeth were inside the mouth when closed. The organisms also were black with yellow cross bands. I could not sex these individuals since I did not want to disturb them but what I presumed to be the mother was on the opposite bank munching on a rather large fish. I did get a video of these juveniles and they are below.

This whole experience was really fun for me because I had never seen so many alligators in one place. It was also my first time seeing juveniles out in their habitats being watched over by mom. One really cool thing I did notice is that there were larger juveniles across the river on the other bank further away, and the smaller ones were closer to the mother. This lead me to believe that the larger ones are closer to the size where their vocalizations no longer draw the mother's attention. Very cool experience and a great hike.