The king of the swamps...
the Louisiana Alligator
Louisiana swamps are home to the Louisiana Alligator. It is also known to many creatures that are uncommon to the rest of the world, however, I do believe everyone knows about the fierce, yet respected, most popular reptile of the south.
The Louisiana alligator is a close relative of the crocodile,
and the caiman. You can tell a difference in that a
gator has a wider snout. Crocodiles are usually more
aggressive also.
Gator species stretch from parts of Texas, all the way
up to the Carolinas, all around the coast. Louisiana
has the highest population, at nearly 2 million(wild,
and
farm raised
.), followed by Florida, with the second most.
When hatched, gators are normally 10"-12" long and can
grow anywhere from 2"-12" per year. The growth speed can
depend on many things such as the climate, or habitat,
that they live in, the sex of the reptile, and the age
of the gator(the older they get, the slower they grow).
These reptiles don't usually have a preference to what
they eat, when they eat, or how they get the food.
Generally, however, a young gator will hunt for smaller
prey, such as insects, minnows, and small snakes, and
will hunt larger food once they get older, such as nutria,
beaver, larger fish, and even animals that are at the
waters edge, drinking.
Mating season is approximately April and May and is a very
dangerous time for a smaller, less dominant male. The
larger male will bellow to attract the females, and to
also let other males know that this is his territory, and
if one gets too close, they will fight each other to the
death, or until one retreats due to wounds.
Many locals hunt alligators for skins and meat. There is
a season for hunting these reptiles, but it only lasts for
one month(September), and there are other requirements,
in order to hunt them legally.
There are also many
farm raised gators,
which seem to have
the same wild instincts, but are controlled within a
property. There are about 1/2 million gators on farms in
Louisiana.
You can visit Louisiana alligator farms, or click here to see more Louisiana hotspots.
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