Yeah, Come A Little Closer. by TwoPynts
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Description
Thanks for all your comments on my post yesterday, Care For A Swim?. Today we have two alligator photos, possibly of the same specimen from The Lurker On The Shore. This was taken a week later on the same canal tributary, this time in the late afternoon and on the opposite bank. Gators are highly territorial, and this one appeared to be sunning itself on top of what looks like it's den. At least I'd live there if I was an alligator...you can't beat the waterfront access. ;o] I couldn't get as close as I would have liked since he was above the level of my boat and there is always a chance he'd hop on board for a quick snack. They can move faster and jump farther than their seeming lassitude indicates. Thankfully, he stayed put.
Olympus C8080 & PhotoshopCS
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COMMON NAMES:
American alligator, Mississippi alligator, Pike-headed alligator, "gator"
NAME ETYMOLOGY:
Alligator is derived from the Spanish el lagarto which means "the lizard"
mississippiensis means "of the Mississippi (River)", derived from mississippi + ensis (Latin for "belonging to"). In the initial description, mississippiensis was misspelt as mississipiensis (one p) but later corrected by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature on the principal argument that it refers to the Mississippi River
DISTRIBUTION:
Southeastern United States: Alabama, Arkansas, North & South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas
HABITAT:
Primarily freshwater swamps and marshes, but also in rivers, lakes and smaller bodies of water. They can tolerate a reasonable degree of salinity for short periods of time, being occasionally found in brackish water around mangrove swamps, although they lack the buccal salt-secreting glands present in crocodiles. Construction of burrows is well documented in this species. The burrows are used for shelter and hibernation when the seasonal temperatures fall. Even outside their burrows, they can tolerate limited periods of freezing conditions. They modify their habitat through the creation of 'alligator holes', which provide a refuge for other animals during dry periods. These are excavated using both snout and tail. Once these dry out, however, the alligator crosses land in order to find another body of water. Alligators near human habitation are often seen crossing roads, entering suburbs and finding shelter in swimming pools during the drier months.
DENTITION:
How many teeth does an alligator have? The number of teeth in different parts of the upper and lower jaws are not always the same, so the total number of teeth varies from 74 to 80. That breaks down into 5 pre-maxillary; 13-15 maxillary; 19-20 mandibular.
(taken from The Florida Museum of Natural History website)
Comments (38)
metalgir
Yeah! aliggator in action! Very nice pictures! Excellent!
killerpumpkins
Very nice read this morning before I start my work. An excellent documentary and pictures. Thanks KP
Syrup
It's not often we get not only a picture but an interesting read too! Thanks for taking such a balls'ie picture! :B eaver !
hotracer2
No thanks, I thinks you have come as close as I want to, well done:):):):)
LICORNEDECRISTAL
superbe portrait!!!!!!!
Sekadhar
Ooooh, too close...excellent shots!!!
pm_hackworth
Oh my! You really are a great Nat'l Georgrapic level photographer! Excellent!
TwoPynts
CDBrugg
74-80 teeth - lots of work for DELMUR
cryptojoe
Great shot and lots of information.
Zacko
RUN!!!! RUN DAMN IT!!!! HES COMING FOR YOU!!! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE??? STEVE IRWIN???? Dont thinks so...better RUUUUUN!!!! Amazing series this is, simply fascinating stuff!!! Cant help but love these animals, they sure made it through a lot. Will be around long after were gone thats for sure. EXCELLENT WORK!!!!! Have a great (and safe) week #:O)
soulofharmony
beautiful mini scroll of these two awesome creatures love the pov and light superb.. work gulps... :)...
cynlee
close enough!! exciting shots kort, really like the compo of the 2nd :]
Enmos
Love the info and the story !! Stunning shots as well here !! Really awesome work here, if you see him again tell him he did a cool job on the den ;o)
tibet2004uk
Fascinating infos Kort and that second shot is wicked cool!! And I think u went FAR TOO close in the first one huh! ;)
sharky_
Oh so dangerous. That top one is ready to spring into action. Hang on to that camera, lol. Excellent capture. Aloha
Hendesse
Stunning images!!! Fantastic colors and so clear. Excellent work!!!
Cosme..D..Churruca
Terrifying creatures... and genially captured !
diomedes66
Amazing series of quality wildlife images - but please, be bloody careful! Magnificent!
eres
Fantastic shots!!!!!!! I don't really need to feel closer lol...;o)
zulaan
Wow ! Beautiful little lovely creature ;) He he, beautiful shot !!! ;)
Onslow
Amazing Photography pin sharp sharp and superb colour. Glad we have you to photograph all the dangerous things ;)
Nasht
they're both excellent shots but the second one... man... that's outstanding!!! (and somewhat funny too ) V
DELMUR
i come to see, but i hate that!! Not your photos, but the beast!!One day i ,saw at tv,that atrain had an accident and fall down in water.....
Saurav
Excellent shots, he's got his eyes on you. =)
logiloglu
wow, fantastic shots.most excellent wildlife photography. top work,Kort. BraVo #:O)
Michelle A.
Yikes....!
CameraObscura
Is he giving himself a sun tan or is he waiting for dinner? This series is very educational Kort and I hope you can forgive my sense of off the wall humor.
odie
I cannot believe you got THAT close. WOW! Excellent shots here. Look at his grin....I'm with Zacko - RUN!! :0)
blacq_nyght_vampyre
Run fast!!!!!! Excellent.