American Alligator
Alligator mississippiensis
The alligator is one of the largest reptiles found in Florida. It averages about ten feet in length, but a 17 foot, 5 inch gator was found in Apopka, Florida in 1956. The alligator resembles lizards with its long tail and short legs. It is occasionally confused with the crocodile, but gators have a rounded snout, are darker in color, and prefer fresh water.
The gator's eyes, nose, and ears are all located at the top of its head and allow it to see, hear, and smell while almost completely hidden in the water. The American Alligator is only found in the southeastern United States. The largest groups are found in Florida, Louisiana, and southern Georgia. Gators are usually in or near fresh to brackish water.
Juvenile American Alligator
Juvenile Alligator mississippiensis
The Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium received two new juvenile alligators (and a baby crocodile) in October of 2002. They were born during the summer at Gatorama, an alligator farm in Florida. We will keep these alligators at the Center until they get too large to handle safely. At that point we will trade them in for new baby alligators. When we traded our previous alligators, they were three feet long. They can never be released into the wild because they have learned to associate people with food. Once they get bigger, they might even attack an unsuspecting person!
Our alligators are fed three times a week. At each feeding they eat one small mouse. At first it was difficult to get them used to the routine, but now they are excellent eaters! We feed them in a special cage with water in it, and they seem to know when it is feeding time.
Both juvenile alligators live in a large aquarium inside the museum. They get along quite well, and spend most of their time hiding underneath the logs in the water. This is a typical behavior of most young alligators since their natural instinct is to hide from potential predators. After they are fed, they often lie on a log or a rock sticking out of the water on the side of their cage under the sun lamp. The heat helps them digest their food.
Our alligators are used daily for programs, and they travel throughout south Florida to educate the public. They are accustomed to being handled, but they do not particularly enjoy it and will bite if given the chance. Since they are still so young, they sometimes make a gulping noise, which is a cry for help. Luckily for us, their mothers do not live at the Center!
The juvenile alligator's adoptive parents may visit it any day of the year except major holidays. The Center is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays.