HHI-Alligators??

[JimMIA]

I hear ya. My wife made me use the ropes because she said not to hurt the DVC gators.

Come visit us in the Everglades and I'll show you what happens when people rope alligators.

We have about a 7 foot alligator that someone roped. Unfortunately, the alligator got away with the rope still around its snout. Over time, the rope abraided the skin and ended up cutting all the way through the alligator's upper jaw. So now we have an alligator with about a foot of its upper jaw missing.

I have no idea how that animal catches or eats food, but it probably will not survive. That's the second time I've seen that happen in six years.

 

[JimMIA]

I hear ya. My wife made me use the ropes because she said not to hurt the DVC gators.

I've actually been assuming that you are joking about roping alligators. If you're not, you need to be very careful where you do that. There's a good bit of variance in state laws, but the American Alligator is still protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and therefore it's a federal crime to feed or molest one. It's also a state crime in Florida, but I'm not familiar with other state laws.

I think they recently increased the fine to $1,000 per count, but the worst thing is it's a mandatory court appearance in U.S. District Court. So if you mess up on vacation, you have to come back at your own expense for court and many magistrates will require you to be represented by an attorney. It can be an expensive mistake.

 

[JimMIA]

Gators are only a problem if they are hungry, crocodiles are just mean.

Actually, alligators are most dangerous when they are protecting their nests or their young. When they're hungry, they're usually looking for fish or turtles (or poodles, Great Danes, etc if they're handy).

When alligators are not molested or fed, they tend to just ignore humans. But when they're fed, they get aggressive and usually have to be destroyed. As you said -- leave them alone and they'll leave you alone.

Most crocodiles are vicious (Nile, Australian, etc), but American Crocodiles are actually quite docile. They will sit right next to their nest and watch racoons eat their eggs and not bother the racoon. We have a fairly large number of crocs in South Florida (probably 2,000 in a county with 2.5 million people), but we've never had a human injured by a crocodile.

 

[TammyAlphabet]

"Candy gram!"

This is absolutely the funniest post I have ever seen on the DIS in three years of reading the boards!!! The green frog and Rinkwide would be proud!!

 

[3pirates]

Love the gator picture too....but my 16 year old would probably . He encountered one in just that position up against a tree when he was hunting for a golf ball on a resort in the lowcountry near HH. It was making a growling noise!

I'm going to restate what I know, much of which has already been said. The gators usually aren't aggressive. They don't like salt water, so your marsh view should be wonderful. They like ponds, but move from one to another so you can find them anywhere. They also apparently like to sun themselves, because most of the ones I've seen have been doing just that.

For safety sake, I would not let small dogs roam. They're probably fine if you are right there with them. And I wouldn't let small children near ponds or creeks unsupervised either.

And BTW, this isn't just a lowcountry issue. Pretty much anywhere from there South can have gators, and the same considerations should apply. I've seen them in creeks over by Kennedy Space Center, friends that lived in an apartment complex in Tampa said once in awhile there would be a Gator in the ponds near them and an occasional unsupervised pet would disappear.

But you'll love Hilton Head!

 

[JimMIA]

It was making a growling noise!

That deep growling sound is called "bellowing" and it's just conversation for alligators -- nothing aggressive about bellowing. Neither is opening their mouth aggressive. It can be discomforting if they open their mouth just as you approach, but all they are trying to do is cool off.

The sound you do NOT want to hear from an alligator is a hiss! That's aggressive and you'd better back up quick if you hear it.

Clapping (opening their mouth and then slamming it shut in the water, making a clap sound) and tail swishing are not aggressive behaviors, but they are territorial displays.

They also apparently like to sun themselves, because most of the ones I've seen have been doing just that.

Alligators are cold-blooded animals. In hot weather, you will usually find them in the water, and sometimes they become almost invisible. I've seen visitors walk right up to an alligator in a canal without realizing the gator was even there. In colder weather, they lay out in the sun to warm up. They have to get their body temp up for their digestive system to function.

 

[3pirates]

That deep growling sound is called "bellowing" and it's just conversation for alligators -- nothing aggressive about bellowing. Neither is opening their mouth aggressive. It can be discomforting if they open their mouth just as you approach, but all they are trying to do is cool off.

The sound you do NOT want to hear from an alligator is a hiss! That's aggressive and you'd better back up quick if you hear it.

Clapping (opening their mouth and then slamming it shut in the water, making a clap sound) and tail swishing are not aggressive behaviors, but they are territorial displays.

Alligators are cold-blooded animals. In hot weather, you will usually find them in the water, and sometimes they become almost invisible. I've seen visitors walk right up to an alligator in a canal without realizing the gator was even there. In colder weather, they lay out in the sun to warm up. They have to get their body temp up for their digestive system to function.

I'll have to tell DS the gator wasn't threatening him, just wanted to talk. (Although I'm thinking even had he known this he would have backed away just as he did!)

And probably the reason I have mostly seen them when sunning is because I'm one of those people that aren't paying good attention to what is in the canal! When they're laying in the middle of a grassy area they are MUCH easier to spot!