Gators 'eat meat ... we're meat'

From the Sudbury Star (Canada): Gators 'eat meat ... we're meat'
TITUSVILLE, Fla. -- If you thought Canada's cougars, bears, and coyotes made for bad neighbours, you might want to reconsider buying that vacation home in Florida.

A stealthy ambush predator with one of the most powerful bites on Earth, the American alligator can strike fear in just about anyone.

And there are 1.3 million cruising the swamps and waterways of the Sunshine State.

But for Floridians, the reptile is not just a part of life and the occasional backyard visitor, it's an important part of the culture.

University sports teams bear its name, television shows feature their capture, and gator parks are popular tourist attractions.

"I've always loved alligators," said Ty Karnitz, a wildlife educator and large animal trainer at Jungle Adventures nature park in Christmas, Fla.

"One of the things I try to do here is change people's perception about them. Unfortunately, a lot of animals that people don't have a lot of encounters with get a really bad rap.

"Alligators are big, they're scary, they eat meat, and none of that is good for their perception. We're meat, and they could eat us."

While gators can be aggressive, only about seven unprovoked attacks are reported on average every year. In the past 60 years, only 22 people have been killed by the animals in the state.

Golfers make up a large group of victims, with 10% of all alligator attacks in Florida reportedly the result of duffers trying to retrieve their balls.

The state keeps track of attacks and nuisance calls, of which there are about 15,000 annually to the alligator hotline.


But, Karnitz says, despite regular news reports about it, catching one loafing in the backyard pool is "not the norm."

"It's really not that common," he said. "You know, I've never had a moose in my backyard. If I woke up one morning and saw a moose in my backyard, I'd be pretty shocked. But for some Canadians, a moose or a bear in their backyard is not that big of a deal."

With a brain the size of a walnut, gators prefer an easy meal and thrive on carrion -- dead animals -- which

Gator facts

keeps Florida's warm waters from becoming cesspools. But when they have to take down a living thing -- a pet or deer, for example -- they're known for their "death roll," where they pull their prey under water to drown it. Fully grown, the American alligator can easily reach more than 4 metres in length and weigh more than 362 kg, and its bite can generate 9,765 kg of pressure per square metre -- equivalent to a small car falling on someone from the sky. By comparison, a lion's bite generates just under 4,882 kg, while a big dog can only muster a paltry 610 kg.

Gators are everywhere in Florida, having made a remarkable comeback since the 1960s, when they were hunted to the brink of extinction and put on the endangered species list.

The fact that much of this state is swampland and is carved up and crisscrossed by canals and man-made waterways means Florida provides the perfect habitat for alligators.

"A rule I was told growing up is every body of water in Florida will have a gator in it," Karnitz said. "If you just expect them to be there, which you should do when you're in Florida, then it's not that big of a problem."

Even rainwater ditches aren't safe. But your best bet to see one is to simply head to one of the gator parks in the state such as Jungle Adventures.

And you can still hunt them, if you wish. Each year resident hunters -- who can kill two each -- harvest about 7,000 and licensed trappers euthanize about 9,000 more annually. For Snowbirds and other nonresidents, hunting is only possible using a licensed outfitter. Expect to pay about $2,000 for the privilege.

And if you're wondering what they do with all these dead alligators, look no further than the nearest shoe shop or the supermarket.

Known as the "other, other white meat," gator meat can fetch up to $27.50 per kg and the skin from their belly produces some of the most expensive leather in the world and can cost upwards of $7 per cm.

Luckily for wild gators, though, better tasting meat and unblemished hides come from alligator farms.

And just like that, Canada's cougars, black bears and coyotes suddenly don't seem so mean after all.

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GATOR FACTS

Alligators are only native to the United States and China.

American alligators live in freshwater environments, such as ponds, marshes, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and swamps, as well as brackish environments.

Alligators are most active between 27 C and 33 C and start slowing down when temperatures reach about 21 C.

The average number of eggs in a Florida alligator nest is 35-50, but only about 15 of these will hatch ... and only about six of those will survive to see their first birthday. Baby alligators are eaten by raccoons, large bass, birds and, of course, bigger alligators.

Males are usually about 3.3-metres long and can weigh about 456 kg. Females are usually about 2.7 m long.

The largest Florida alligator on record (a male) is listed at 4.46 m. The heaviest (also a male) weighed in at 473 kg and was 4.23 m in length.

Alligators, in environments such as the Everglades, can live to be 50 years old.

Alligators are fast. It has been recorded that a gator can outrun a horse over a span of 9 m.