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The Alligator Thread

Surprise: Alligators can regenerate their tails when they're young.
Bigger Surprise: No one seems to have discovered this until now.
In an Unexpected Twist It Turns Out Alligators Can Regrow Their Tails Too

Cornered by a dangerous predator, a gecko can self-amputate its still twitching tail, creating a fleeting moment of distraction - a chance for the lizard to flee with its life.

Small reptiles such as geckos and skinks are well known for this remarkable ability to sacrifice and then rapidly regrow their tails. Now, to scientists' surprise, it turns out that much larger alligators can regrow theirs too. But only while they're young.

Juvenile American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) can regrow up to 18 percent of their total body length back. This is about 23 cm or 9 inches of length.

What's really cool is this regrowth appears to occur via a mechanism we've not seen before.

By imaging and dissecting the tail regrowth, researchers from Arizona State University (ASU) found alligators do this quite differently from the other animals we know that can regenerate their appendages. ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/it-s-n...s-young-alligators-can-regrow-their-tails-too
 
Now here's something you don't see everyday. From Florida, an alligator riding a manatee.

florida.jpg
 
Alligator crocs the ice.

OKLAHOMA - Alligators in Oklahoma went into a deep freeze this week as frigid, icy temperatures plague much of the central and eastern United States.

Wildlife photographer David Arbour captured stunning photos of several alligators poking their snouts through the ice to breathe at the Red Slough Wildlife Management Area this week.



gators1.jpg

(David Arbour/ Oklahoma Department of Wildlife)
gators3.jpg

(David Arbour/ Oklahoma Department of Wildlife)

While the alligators may appear to be dead, scientists say they’re not. It’s a survival technique alligators use when the water starts to freeze.

MORE NEWS: 13-foot massive alligator snatches duck from hunters in Central Florida

Adam E. Rosenblatt, a biology professor at the University of North Florida, tells Science Alert that when the alligators go under, they enter what's called "brumation"—a hibernation-like state for reptiles. Their bodies almost entirely shut down and all they need to do is breathe. Basically, the ice sticks to their snouts, locking them in place while their bodies dangle below the surface.

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/f...king-noses-through-ice-to-survive-in-oklahoma
 
Always check under your car for gators.

This gigantic 10-foot-2-inch alligator was spotted hiding under a car at an apartment building in Tampa, Florida, before Florida Fish and Wildlife came to rescue it. It might have come from a nearby pond, according to Fox 35 Orlando. It's interesting to see how the crew handles such a creature, gently packing it into the back of a truck before taking it to a farm.

https://boingboing.net/2021/04/07/w...rked-car-in-tampa-is-loaded-onto-a-truck.html
 
Hoping to be hosed down n doubt.

May 20 (UPI) -- Firefighters in Florida unexpectedly ended up acting as wildlife wranglers when their station received a "special visitor" -- an alligator.

The Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue District said in a Facebook postthat personnel stationed at Fire Station 26 spotted the "special visitor" wandering around the facility Wednesday.

"This charming fellow took a little tour of the firefighters' bay and liked it so much he thought he'd stay awhile," the post said.

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/05/20/Alligator-visits-fire-station-in-Florida/7271621542879/
 
Aged alligator. Vid at link.

'World's oldest' alligator Muja celebrates 85th birthday at Belgrade Zoo

From surviving World War Two to becoming a hit on TikTok, Muja the alligator has been through a lot. The 85-year-old reptile at Belgrade Zoo in Serbia is believed to be the world's oldest alligator.

Video Journalist: Katarina Stevanovic

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-57532767
 
ramonmercado said:
Aged alligator. Vid at link.

'World's oldest' alligator Muja celebrates 85th birthday at Belgrade Zoo

From surviving World War Two to becoming a hit on TikTok, Muja the alligator has been through a lot. The 85-year-old reptile at Belgrade Zoo in Serbia is believed to be the world's oldest alligator.

Video Journalist: Katarina Stevanovic

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-57532767
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Still not to old to tear one to pieces.
 
It would be a Florida man.

A 32-year-old Florida man is accused of wrestling with an alligator that he stole from a miniature golf course and later trying to hurl it onto the roof of a cocktail bar.

When his throwing skills failed him, he was seen holding the gator by the tail and trying to whack it against the ground. When police asked William "Bubba" Hodge what caused the cruel behavior toward the alligator, he said he was "teaching it a lesson." A lesson on what, exactly, was unclear.

https://boingboing.net/2021/07/19/florida-man-arrested-after-trying-to-teach-alligator-a-lesson.html
 
ramonmercado said:
It would be a Florida man.

A 32-year-old Florida man is accused of wrestling with an alligator that he stole from a miniature golf course and later trying to hurl it onto the roof of a cocktail bar.

When his throwing skills failed him, he was seen holding the gator by the tail and trying to whack it against the ground. When police asked William "Bubba" Hodge what caused the cruel behavior toward the alligator, he said he was "teaching it a lesson." A lesson on what, exactly, was unclear.

https://boingboing.net/2021/07/19/florida-man-arrested-after-trying-to-teach-alligator-a-lesson.html
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He lucky not tp have been bitten, even a 5'er could practical take his arm off. He needs lessons on how to treat animals and likely people to.
 
Could have been a case of won't see you later alligator keeper.

An employee at a reptile centre in the US is recovering after an alligator yanked her into its enclosure during a presentation and thrashed her around before a fast-acting visitor leapt inside and helped free her from its jaws.

Video taken by a guest shows an unidentified handler at Scales & Tails Utah, in suburban Salt Lake City, talking to some adults and children about the alligator when it bit her hand and dragged her into the water.

Shane Richins, the company’s owner, said in an interview that the handler was opening the enclosure to feed the alligator as usual, but this time the reptile “got a little extra spunky”.

He said the centre normally has a strict policy for a second handler to be nearby when employees are working with the alligators.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/world/arid-40360832.html
 

Mississippi Processor Finds 8,000-Year-Old Relics in the Belly of a 750-Pound Gator​


Shane Smith, owner of Red Antler Processing in Yazoo City, Mississippi, had heard tales about big gators having unusual items in their stomachs. He had heard one story of metal dog tags being found inside an old gator. The tags were believed to have come from deer hounds the gators ate when they ventured too close to the water's edge.

AAOoReU.img


On Sept. 10, hunters brought a pair of Mississippi gators in for processing. Smith examined the stomach of a massive 13-foot, 5-inch, 750-pound gator and discovered what he thought was a broken stone arrowhead, and a tear-drop shaped object so heavy he thought it was a lead weight.

AAOoFoD.img


After showing a photo of the objects to an expert, Smith was stunned at what he learned.

"That's an atlatl dart point," said James Starnes, director of Surface Geology and Mapping for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. He said the point was made between 5,000 to 6,000 B.C.

The atlatl is a primitive weapon that launches a spear having a point, using a second piece of wood with a cup on one end that acts as a lever to increase velocity.

The second object Smith found in the gator, which he thought was a lead weight, was actually a plummet, according to Starnes. It's about 3,800 years old. Starnes says it's unclear exactly what plummets were used for in ancient times. They’re made from hematite, an iron oxide, and are heavy like lead.

Smith learned that gators incidentally ingest odd items off the bottom of rivers, ponds, and sloughs where they’ve lived for years.

"Alligators are known for ingesting grit and rocks to help with digestion," said Ricky Flynt, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Alligator Program coordinator. Stones and other debris found in lake bottoms that gators ingest can end up staying in their stomachs to help mash food.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/m...-in-the-belly-of-a-750-pound-gator/ar-AAOoHnT

maximus otter
 
A 12-foot-long alligator suspected of attacking and killing a 71-year-old man in Hurricane Ida floodwaters has been captured with “human remains” found in its belly, officials said.

After a two-week search, the alligator suspected of the attack was finally captured after U.S. Wildlife agents observed the large creature in a waterway near Satterlee’s residence, the sheriff’s office said. Licensed hunters set up traps to catch the animal.

It was eventually caught on Monday morning, euthanized and searched, which revealed “what appears to be human remains inside its stomach,” the sheriff’s office said. “Investigators will work with the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office to verify those remains belong to Timothy Satterlee,” the statement added.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/09/15/alligator-man-hurricane-ida/
 
A bright Florida man. Vid at link.

In this footage, an alligator lurks on the porch of a Florida home.

The alligator retreats uneasily from an unusual adversary: a square trashcan turned on its side. The trashcan moves toward it under the direction of a man who is certainly not an animal control officer. The alligator tries bellowing at the trashcan, but the large polyethylene vessel continues its advance. In a well-executed denouement, the man flips the trashcan's lid onto the alligator's snout, baiting it into a tactically catastrophic lunge into the darkness.

https://boingboing.net/2021/09/29/florida-man-catches-alligator-with-trash-can.html
 
ramonmercado said:
A bright Florida man. Vid at link.

In this footage, an alligator lurks on the porch of a Florida home.

The alligator retreats uneasily from an unusual adversary: a square trashcan turned on its side. The trashcan moves toward it under the direction of a man who is certainly not an animal control officer. The alligator tries bellowing at the trashcan, but the large polyethylene vessel continues its advance. In a well-executed denouement, the man flips the trashcan's lid onto the alligator's snout, baiting it into a tactically catastrophic lunge into the darkness.

https://boingboing.net/2021/09/29/florida-man-catches-alligator-with-trash-can.html
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I COULD NOT believe that this scheme worked. But, there you go...
The full video showed him wheeling the bin to the pond across the road, letting it go, and taking back his bin. All done in Adidas flip-flops and socks.
 
How much is a frisbee worth?

In flagrant disregard of posted no swimming in the lake signs, a Florida man was swimming in a lake when an alligator attacked and killed him. Apparently, the Florida man was looking for frisbees.

NBC:

"At this time, detectives believe the victim was looking for frisbees in the water and a gator was involved," Largo police said on Tuesday. "There are posted signs of no swimming in the lake."
Police on Wednesday said they believe McGuinness was killed Monday night before a dog walker found the victim's body on the shoreline at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.
"While the medical examiner will determine the exact cause of death, it was apparent that McGuinness suffered injuries related to alligators in the lake," police said in a statement.
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https://boingboing.net/2022/06/01/frisbee-hunter-attacked-and-killed-by-alligator.html
 
ramonmercado said:
How much is a frisbee worth?

In flagrant disregard of posted no swimming in the lake signs, a Florida man was swimming in a lake when an alligator attacked and killed him. Apparently, the Florida man was looking for frisbees.

NBC:

https://boingboing.net/2022/06/01/frisbee-hunter-attacked-and-killed-by-alligator.html
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Ick, boingboing. The typical response to this story was that it was dumb of the man to go into the water, in early morning, during alligator mating season. Signage announces alligators are present in the water. There were many jokes in the comments to this story about stupid “Florida man” and the hideous “Darwin Awards”. But the story isn’t laughable. The man was homeless and made a living selling the pricey discs (which are not just $1 frisbees). He had been warned not to do this but it may have been his main means of getting by. Alligators are typically afraid of people. Associating people with food has proved to be disastrous for a number of species. The man was found on the bank missing an arm. An alligator that may have been responsible for the death was euthanized by officials. As this NYT article notes, maybe the Disc Golf hole should be relocated. Alligator-related injuries in humans in Florida is fairly common. But deaths are not very common, perhaps one every two years on average. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/31/...etrieving-frisbees-in-lake-officials-say.html
 
Sharon Hill said:
Ick, boingboing. The typical response to this story was that it was dumb of the man to go into the water, in early morning, during alligator mating season. Signage announces alligators are present in the water. There were many jokes in the comments to this story about stupid “Florida man” and the hideous “Darwin Awards”. But the story isn’t laughable. The man was homeless and made a living selling the pricey discs (which are not just $1 frisbees). He had been warned not to do this but it may have been his main means of getting by. Alligators are typically afraid of people. Associating people with food has proved to be disastrous for a number of species. The man was found on the bank missing an arm. An alligator that may have been responsible for the death was euthanized by officials. As this NYT article notes, maybe the Disc Golf hole should be relocated. Alligator-related injuries in humans in Florida is fairly common. But deaths are not very common, perhaps one every two years on average. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/31/...etrieving-frisbees-in-lake-officials-say.html
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That puts a different spin on the story, sad, it may have been a important source of income to him; he may well have suffered from other problems which made it difficult to quantify risks.
 
This fatal alligator attack is noteworthy for having occurred in South Carolina rather than Florida. South Carolina's coastal marshlands contain alligators, too.
An alligator killed a person near Myrtle Beach in South Carolina

... The alligator took hold of a person near the edge of a retention pond on Friday, according to a Facebook post from the Horry County Police Department ...

Following the attack in the Myrtle Beach Golf and Yacht Club, the alligator returned to the retention pond ...

The victim's body was recovered from the pond and the alligator was removed and euthanized, police say. The police department's investigation is still underway, authorities said, and the victim's identity and a cause of death have not yet been released. ...

South Carolina is home to alligators that live across the state's coastal marshlands ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/26/us/myrtle-beach-alligator-attack-trnd/index.html
 
Back in my earlier career as a newspaper reporter (still consider myself a journalist--that nature never leaves you!), I was tasked with reporting an attempted alligator attack--on the Delaware River between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I didn't know what to think, but it turns out it wasn't the first nor last time that alligators had been found in the area. If you want more details on these bizarre incidents, I wrote about them here: https://thunderbirdphoto.com/f/alligator-in-the-delaware
 
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Police and the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office were in Sun City Hilton Head investigating a fatal alligator attack Monday morning, according to an alert from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies got to Sun City around 11:15 a.m. after receiving a call from a resident reporting an alligator that seemed to be “guarding” a body. The body was at the edge of the water near a pond in Sun City, a gated community, and the alligator was hovering nearby.
https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/crime/article264523671.html

[I originally posted what I think was a link to a story already posted above from June. But the similarities were confusing me. Both towns were South Carolina, both deaths were women who were in a gated community.]
 
Sharon Hill said:
Police and the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office were in Sun City Hilton Head investigating a fatal alligator attack Monday morning, according to an alert from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies got to Sun City around 11:15 a.m. after receiving a call from a resident reporting an alligator that seemed to be “guarding” a body. The body was at the edge of the water near a pond in Sun City, a gated community, and the alligator was hovering nearby.
https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/crime/article264523671.html

[I originally posted what I think was a link to a story already posted above from June. But the similarities were confusing me. Both towns were South Carolina, both deaths were women who were in a gated community.]
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I don't know very much about Alligators, as I have no personal knowledge of your particular corner of the World.
However, I always thought that once an Alligator had grabbed and killed a victim, human or otherwise, they would immediately drag it down underwater and wedge it under a log, or boulder, or similar, until they were hungry then return to feast?
Never imagined that they would ever stand guard over a kill would be something they would do - why guard a kill when they can stow it out of the way from other predators?
 
This Florida man was lucky to escape after a 12-foot-long gator chomped on his head. The attack was caught on drone video.
Florida man who survived alligator attack caught on drone video: 'I shouldn't be alive'

A Florida firefighter and paramedic is recovering after he became the center of his own emergency.

Two weeks ago, ABC affiliate WFTS reports J.C. La Verde was shooting an instructional video for his company when he was attacked by a 12-foot alligator as he swam in Lake Thonotosassa, near Tampa.

Drone video shot from overhead captured La Verde's brush with death. As soon as he realized he was inside a gator's mouth, he said he tried to open its jaws.

"When I felt the teeth, I immediately knew," La Verde said, "And then as I opened it, I knew that I either turned it or it turned me. But it was confused, just as I was confused, and then it just let go." ...

He swam to the dock, hoisted himself up and was driven to the hospital by a good Samaritan. He even called 911 himself to explain what happened. ...

La Verde underwent an emergency six-hour surgery and will need another in the future. He now must wear a helmet to protect the right side of his head.

"If people want to see this any other way than a legit miracle, it's silly of you," La Verde said. "I shouldn't be alive." ...
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FULL STORY (With Video): https://abc7.com/man-gets-attacked-by-alligator-bitten-in-florida-drone-video-attack/12139839/
 
A bush alligator.

It is not uncommon for Idaho wildlife officials to be called for help when a moose, mountain lion, black bear or other wild animals wander into one of the state’s rural communities.

But Idaho Fish and Game officials are asking the public for help with a particularly unusual find — a 3.5-foot alligator that was discovered hiding in shrubbery in a rural neighborhood about 40 miles north-west of Boise.

Southwest Region spokesperson Brian Pearson told the Idaho Statesman that a New Plymouth resident was walking their dog on Thursday evening when they noticed something moving in the brush. Further investigation revealed the alligator — a creature commonly found in the coastal wetlands of the south-eastern US and certainly not native to Idaho.

Mr Pearson said the resident put the alligator in a nearby horse trailer until Idaho Fish and Game conservation officer could pick it up on Friday morning. The department has the animal in captivity for now, but Mr Pearson said it will be euthanised or given to a licensed facility unless the owner is located.

https://www.independent.ie/world-ne...ry-in-rural-idaho-neighbourhood-42086919.html
 
An alligator has luckily been rescued from a chilly Brooklyn pond.
Hopefully it will now be safe and cared for.

Alligator found in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park

Reptile rescued from lake on Sunday is most likely an unwanted pet and has been taken to Bronx Zoo for rehabilitation


The itinerant crocodilian – most likely an unwanted pet – was in poor condition and described as sluggish by park officials, the local news station PIX11 reported. Authorities said the lethargic alligator might have been shocked by the cold.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/19/flaco-new-york-zoo-eagle-owl-central-park
“Parks are not suitable homes for animals not indigenous to those parks – domesticated or otherwise,” the spokesperson said. “In addition to the potential danger to park-goers this could have caused, releasing non-indigenous animals or unwanted pets can lead to the elimination of native species and unhealthy water quality.”
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