The alligator and its allies

by A. M. Reese

Fig. 4. Alligator Hunter in the Okefinokee.

(From a Photograph by the Author.)

The collection of eggs for sale and for hatching purposes, as well as their destruction for food by bears and other animals, will also tend towards the annihilation of the species in the course of time. The economic importance of the alligator will be discussed later.

While in the old days, as has been said, the alligator was common in the larger rivers and lakes, and may even have ventured short distances into salt water, he must now frequently be satisfied to hide his great body in a “’gator hole” that is scarcely more than a puddle. These “holes” ([Fig. 7]) are common in central Florida and are sometimes scarcely large enough to allow the alligator to dive into them to seek the underground cave in which he hides. It is on the edge of such a hole that the nest is built, as will be described later.

Often from a small swamp or slough alligator “trails” lead off in different directions. These trails are narrow, winding gullies such as might be made by cattle in a damp pasture. If followed from the main slough the trail will usually be found to end in a “hole,” in which an alligator will probably be found ([Fig. 7]). In a great swamp like the Everglades or the Okefinokee such holes would naturally not be found.

On one side of the hole is usually a smooth place where the vegetation is worn away; it is here that the ’gator “pulls out” to sleep in the sun; and wary must the hunter be to approach within sight of the animal before being seen or heard by him. At the first alarm he slides quietly or plunges quickly into the muddy water, and the hunter must wait long if he expects to see the ’gator come to the surface.

The opening of the cave is always below the surface of the water, but it is possible that there may be a subterranean chamber that is not completely filled with water. How the animal is gotten from his cave will be described later. According to some writers the alligator retires to his cave to hibernate during the cooler winter months. This is possibly true in the more northerly limits of his range. It is well known that if kept in cool water the alligator will lie dormant and refuse all food for months at a time. The writer has had young alligators in captivity, under these conditions, that refused food from late in the autumn until nearly the first of April.

The proprietor of one of the largest alligator farms in the country says: “Our alligators stop eating the first week in October and do not begin to eat until the latter part of April. We have experimented with our stock to see if we could get them to eat in the winter, and found that by keeping the water in the tanks at a certain temperature they would eat, but we found out that the warm water would make their bowels move, and that they would not eat enough to keep themselves up, as in the summer, and as a result they would become very poor and thin, so we do not force them to eat any more.” The effect upon the growth of an animal of these two methods of feeding will be noted later when the age and rate of growth are discussed. The same writer says, in answer to a question about hibernation: “In their wild state they go into their dens under water and remain dormant all winter.” Whether this statement is the result of actual observation the writer is not able to say, but, judging by some other statements from the same source, it is probably from hearsay. The writer, having visited the alligator haunts only in late spring and summer, has had no opportunity of studying the habits of the animal in its natural habitat during the winter season. During the heat of summer the animal does not seek the sun as he is said to do during cooler weather, but spends more time on the bank at night and during the cooler parts of the day.

That he sometimes wanders over dry land, perhaps going from hole to hole, is evident from the tracks that are sometimes seen crossing a dusty road or path. These trails are easily recognized by the clawed footprints with a line, made by the dragging tail, between them. Although most awkward on land, he can, if necessary, move very quickly. It is, however, in the water that he shows to best advantage; he is an active, powerful swimmer, his tail being used as a propeller as in the fishes. When swimming actively the legs are held close against the body in order that they may retard the animal’s motion as little as possible. While swimming in a leisurely way the top of the head is at the surface of the water, perhaps just the nostrils and eyes projecting above the surface, so that the size of the animal can be estimated by the distance between these projecting points. One afternoon the writer and a guide, while paddling along an old canal that was dug years ago into the Okefinokee Swamp, were preceded for perhaps half a mile by a large alligator that swam just fast enough to keep out of our reach until he came to the place where he wanted to turn off into the swamp.

Although so awkward on land, the alligator is said to be able to defend himself very effectively with his tail, which he sweeps from side to side with sufficient force, in the case of a large specimen, to knock a man off his feet. Although the writer has seen captured and helped to capture alive several alligators up to eight feet in length he has never seen this vigorous use of the tail as a weapon of defense.