Dr. Paul Wager's Honey Island Swamp Tour
this is page 2 - alligators and some alligator facts

On this trip, the two RV Gypsies saw about 20 alligators or more. But not all of them could be photographed because the boat did not stop every time an alligator was seen. Plus many of the alligators were on the opposite side of the boat from where the two RV Gypsies were sitting. Even so, the two RV Gypsies enjoyed this tour and got some good photos, although they have seen and photographed many alligators at other times. After all, they did live in Florida for many years before they became the Two RV Gypsies.

"An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. The two living species are the American alligator (A. mississippiensis) and the Chinese alligator (A. sinensis). In addition, several extinct species of alligator are known from fossil remains. Alligators first appeared during the Paleocene epoch about 66 million years ago.

The name "alligator" is probably an anglicized form of el lagarto, the Spanish term for "the lizard", which early Spanish explorers and settlers in Florida called the alligator. Later English spellings of the name included allagarta and alagarto."

"Description: An average adult American alligator's weight and length is 790pounds and 13.1, but they sometimes grow to 4 feet long and weigh over 99 pounds. The largest ever recorded, found in Louisiana, measured 19.2 feet. The Chinese alligator is smaller, rarely exceeding 6.9 feet in length. In addition, it weighs considerably less, with males rarely over 99 pounds.

Adult alligators are black or dark olive-brown with white undersides, while juveniles have strongly contrasting white or yellow marks which fade with age.

No average life span for an alligator has been measured. In 1937, an adult specimen was brought to the Belgrade Zoo in Serbia from Germany. It is now at least 80 years old. Although no valid records exist about its date of birth, this alligator, officially named Muja, is considered the oldest alligator living in captivity."

Below: Captain Hunter was throwing marshmallows and holding out hot dogs to the alligators so they came really close to the boat. (This does NOT mean that the two RV Gypsies recommend anybody else throwing marshmallows or any other food to alligators).

Below: This would have been a really great photograph of the alligator trying to get the hot dog, but the railings of the boat were in the way.

Alligators are native to only the United States and China. American alligators are found in the southeast United States. in most of Florida and Louisiana; the southern parts of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi; plus coastal South and North Carolina; East Texas, the southeast corner of Oklahoma, and the southern tip of Arkansas.

"American alligators live in freshwater environments, such as ponds, marshes, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and swamps, as well as in brackish environments. When they construct alligator holes in the wetlands, they increase plant diversity and provide habitat for other animals during droughts. They are, therefore, considered an important species for maintaining ecological diversity in wetlands."

Continue on to page 3 - Feral hogs and wild raccoons.