lARRY1 Loc: southern nc

Just last week I watched a show on BBC about these critters. A scientist was explaining that you would not see an alligator in or near salt water because their skin cannot extract it from their bodies. Crocodiles do not have this problem as they have a way to extract salt water from their body. Last year we had two bad shark attacks right there and I guess we will have to start worrying about Alligators grabbing us. Damn if ain't someum all the time. This critter came ashore a few miles from my house yesterday

Leicaflex Loc: Cymru

A really good capture.
Well taken.

DavidPhares Loc: Chandler, Arizona

If ever there was a pure "eating machine," that's it! Yeow!

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

They don't like salt water but sometime get caught in it. He's probably in pain and very dehydrated, he does not look happy at all. In Florida you can float from salt to freshwater and back without ever getting out of the boat in the glades. We use to do that fishing out of Everglade city all the time and the freshwater area is full of gators.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Nice capture. Looks to be a big fella.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Just curious. Where do you live in southern NC? We lived on a brackish water lake in Sunset Beach for 13 years. Lots of alligators.
Mark

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

So he must be an American Crocodile, and not an alligator. They removed one from a golf course near Florida's Atlantic coast a few years back and - because crocodiles are endangered - relocated him in a remote spot near the panhandle on the gulf coast. A year later the same crocodile showed back up at the original golf course. They concluded that he had actually made the trip around the tip of Florida - in the ocean!

salmander

Alligator teeth are inside the jaw when the mouth is closed. Crocodile teeth protrude outside of a closed jaw. It appears to be an alligator in the photo, as its teeth look to be aligned to be inside the mouth when closed. If looks like it is unable to move away from the waves. You can see that it is within the oncoming waves, so it is apparently unable to move away. One could imagine that it may be dying. If the tide is incoming, then its doom is assured.

Big Bill Loc: Phoenix, AZ

Alligators aren't as comfortable in salt water as crocodiles, but live well in brackish water.
Check their range here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_alligator

lARRY1 Loc: southern nc

Thanks Mark for your reply. Know Sunset Beach quite well. I say on the other side of the river near Carolina Beach. This critter came ashore at Holden Beach which I stay sometimes. They relocated him to town creek. If you haven't been to Sunset Beach in a long time it sure has changed. They say someday soon you call hit a golf ball from Sunset Beach and play it all the way to Myrtle Beach! Take care, Larry

lARRY1 Loc: southern nc

Thanks SB for your reply.

phlash46 Loc: Westchester County, New York

That's a big sucker!

lARRY1 Loc: southern nc

Thanks Salmander for your reply. That's what I don't understand. I live near the Cape Fear river in SE North Carolina and have hunted and fished this river all my life. When I was growing up we only saw a few gators every once in a while. IN the late 60's they started a massive dredging program on the river to make it wider and deeper for larger container ships. Today the river is twice as wide and deep. Now 15 miles from the mouth of this river from the atlantic I catch blue fish, spanish and king mackerel,specked trout, drum and flounder because so much salt water now is able to go further inland. The gator are knee deep everywhere from the mouth of the river inland for over one hundred miles. In fact the people want the state to have a limited hunting season to slow their numbers. The salt water has traveled past the town of wilmington and now hundreds of bald cypress tree that lined the river are dead. It really looks terrible. All because of progress.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Thanks Larry. We were just there - vacationed for 10 days on the island. We do go down 2 - 3 times a year. Love the area, but try to go back when the crowd's have not embarked into full attack.
Mark

salmander

[quote=lARRY1]Thanks Salmander for your reply. That's what I don't understand. I live near the Cape Fear river in SE North Carolina and have hunted and fished this river all my life. When I was growing up we only saw a few gators every once in a while. [...] because so much salt water now is able to go further inland. The gator are knee deep everywhere from the mouth of the river inland for over one hundred miles.

So, it appears that alligators can survive a certain amount of salt water exposure. Historically, they were only found in fresh water. It is possible for humans to die from too much salt in our system. I think it causes organ failure, but don't quote me on that. I would imagine that alligator skin would be resistant to salt water absorption, so I don't know how they would be in danger. Perhaps, from drinking it, like you hear about people lost at sea drinking salt water out of desperation and then dying. The alligator in the photo does not look well. An alligator at rest usually has its legs splayed out, and its tail is usually straight. Perhaps the alligator in the photo was moving? That would explain its posture. Is that your picture? Was it moving, or staying still? It appears that my conclusion in that last post was in error. Crocodiles, by the way, are only found in the southernmost tip of Florida, because Florida in general is not warm enough for them. And alligators are found only in North America. Everywhere else, they're crocodiles, caimans, or otherwise related.