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 ----- 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)