The American Alligator in Florida
Dec 20, 2018 06:17:06 #
The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), is a large crocodilian reptile found in freshwater wetlands from Texas to the North Carolina / Virginia border in the southeastern United States. The alligator is distinguished from the American crocodile by its broader snout, overlapping jaws and darker coloration, and is less tolerant of saltwater but more tolerant of cooler climates than the American crocodile, which is found only in tropical climates.
American alligator by Paul Sager, on Flickr
The Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve is a linear swamp forest, approximately twenty miles long by five miles wide. "The Fakahatchee" hosts a wide array of habitats and forest types from the wetter swamps and prairies to the drier islands of tropical hardwood hammocks and pine rock lands. Its groves of native royal palms are the most abundant in the state. The ecosystem of the Fakahatchee Strand is the only place in the world where bald cypress trees and royal palms share the forest canopy.
Historically, alligator hunting had decimated their population, and the American alligator was listed as an endangered species by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Subsequent conservation efforts have allowed their numbers to increase and the species was removed from the list in 1987. American alligators are now harvested for their skins and meat. The species is the official state reptile of three states: Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
American alligator by Paul Sager, on Flickr
The Fakahatchee is home to a variety of plant and animal species that can be found nowhere else in the continental United States. The Fakahatchee Strand is the Orchid Capital of the United States.
American alligators are apex predators and consume fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Hatchlings feed mostly on invertebrates. Adult alligators play an important role as ecosystem engineers in wetland ecosystems through the creation of alligator holes, which provide both wet and dry habitats for other organisms.
Hello by Paul Sager, on Flickr
The American alligator is considered an apex predator throughout its range. They are opportunists and their diet is determined largely by both the size and age of the alligator and the size and availability of prey. Fish and other aquatic prey, taken in the water or at the water's edge, form the major part of alligator's diet and may be eaten at any time of the day or night. Adult American alligators also spend considerable time hunting on land, up to 50 yards from water, ambushing terrestrial animals on trailsides and road shoulders.
Eyes On You
Crocodilia is an order of mostly large, predatory, semiaquatic archosaurian reptiles, known as crocodilians. They first appeared 95 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period and are the closest living relatives of birds, as the two groups are the only known survivors of the Archosauria, the group that includes all extinct dinosaurs.
These images are sized to fill your wide-screen display. Try using <F11> to maximize your browser window for the full effect. If the images overshoot your display, such as a laptop, just click on the image or the URL link and they'll resize to your screen from the host Flickr site. You can click a bit further into the image details on the Flickr page, if desired. EXIF data is available from the host Flickr pages as well. On the Flickr site, use your <L>key for Large and the <F11> for the full-screen.
American alligator by Paul Sager, on Flickr
The Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve is a linear swamp forest, approximately twenty miles long by five miles wide. "The Fakahatchee" hosts a wide array of habitats and forest types from the wetter swamps and prairies to the drier islands of tropical hardwood hammocks and pine rock lands. Its groves of native royal palms are the most abundant in the state. The ecosystem of the Fakahatchee Strand is the only place in the world where bald cypress trees and royal palms share the forest canopy.
Historically, alligator hunting had decimated their population, and the American alligator was listed as an endangered species by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Subsequent conservation efforts have allowed their numbers to increase and the species was removed from the list in 1987. American alligators are now harvested for their skins and meat. The species is the official state reptile of three states: Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
American alligator by Paul Sager, on Flickr
The Fakahatchee is home to a variety of plant and animal species that can be found nowhere else in the continental United States. The Fakahatchee Strand is the Orchid Capital of the United States.
American alligators are apex predators and consume fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Hatchlings feed mostly on invertebrates. Adult alligators play an important role as ecosystem engineers in wetland ecosystems through the creation of alligator holes, which provide both wet and dry habitats for other organisms.
Hello by Paul Sager, on Flickr
The American alligator is considered an apex predator throughout its range. They are opportunists and their diet is determined largely by both the size and age of the alligator and the size and availability of prey. Fish and other aquatic prey, taken in the water or at the water's edge, form the major part of alligator's diet and may be eaten at any time of the day or night. Adult American alligators also spend considerable time hunting on land, up to 50 yards from water, ambushing terrestrial animals on trailsides and road shoulders.
Eyes On You
Crocodilia is an order of mostly large, predatory, semiaquatic archosaurian reptiles, known as crocodilians. They first appeared 95 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period and are the closest living relatives of birds, as the two groups are the only known survivors of the Archosauria, the group that includes all extinct dinosaurs.
These images are sized to fill your wide-screen display. Try using <F11> to maximize your browser window for the full effect. If the images overshoot your display, such as a laptop, just click on the image or the URL link and they'll resize to your screen from the host Flickr site. You can click a bit further into the image details on the Flickr page, if desired. EXIF data is available from the host Flickr pages as well. On the Flickr site, use your <L>key for Large and the <F11> for the full-screen.
Dec 20, 2018 06:22:51 #
They're amazing creatures - like science fiction. I'll never be able to keep crocs and gators separate in my mind.
Dec 20, 2018 06:32:28 #
Dec 20, 2018 07:27:36 #
Dec 20, 2018 09:04:13 #
Nice ones, Paul. We just saw lots of little ones in the wild at Babcock Ranch (a preserve) in southern Florida.
Dec 20, 2018 09:46:16 #
Dec 20, 2018 10:27:39 #
Dec 20, 2018 12:31:29 #
Thank you Jerry, Bernie, Dennis, John, R Dubs, Mike! I was on a few boardwalk walks into / thru swamps in Florida. In the Fakahatchee, their boardwalk lead to a pond with two gators, and the one shown here was hunting something under the boardwalk. I didn't know this until it was thrashing around under my feet under the walk. It came out and took up it's watcher position again so I guess it missed whatever it was after. I think it wasn't me ...
Dec 20, 2018 19:44:43 #
Dec 20, 2018 21:17:20 #
Dec 21, 2018 07:11:18 #
Dec 21, 2018 07:40:52 #
Dec 21, 2018 07:51:22 #
jerryc41 wrote:
They're amazing creatures - like science fiction. I'll never be able to keep crocs and gators separate in my mind.
An easy way to tell the difference is by the shape of the snout. Crocodiles have a more rounded "C" shape snout while the Alligator has a more pointed "A" shape snout.
Dec 21, 2018 08:18:45 #
Mike Fos
Loc: Powhatan Virginia
Interesting lesson. I live about 50 miles north of the Virginia North Carolina line. I would have never guessed that alligators were that far north. Almost neighbors.
Dec 21, 2018 08:20:11 #
Mike Fos wrote:
Interesting lesson. I live about 50 miles north of the Virginia North Carolina line. I would have never guessed that alligators were that far north. Almost neighbors.
Thank you Mike! They're been identified in the Great Dismal Swamp, although I've never personally seen them in that swamp, regardless of the side of the state line.
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