Long Time, No See!

  It is always good to see old friends even when those friends are critters.  After months of not seeing my buddy, the alligator, it was a relief to finally see him.  Over the winter months, the gators are not active so I miss their presence around the pier.  Once the weather starts to warm a bit. the gators make their appearance again.  Having the gators around seems as natural to me as having the mockingbirds singing in the rose arbor.  

  Contrary to what most folks believe, alligators do not hibernate.  They do not going into a deep sleep and snooze the cold months away.  Instead, they do a thing call brumation.  Gators have a way of slowing down their metabolism to preserve energy.  During this torpid state, the gators use little energy but are still awake. They spend the cold months in either lairs dug in the side of the bank, mud holes or even in thick marsh...anywhere that there is a bit of protection from the cold. They stay dormant until the air warms.   If a gator's lair faces the sun, it may crawl out to enjoy basking.  Once the evening starts to cool, it will crawl back under cover.  

  Our lack of winter allows the gators to do a good bit of basking but they never stray far from their dens deep in the Bayou.  This brumation is why my gators are missing in action for a few months.  Once they become active again, they are hungry and immediately start to hunt.  Anything is fair game for the critters.  Let the nutrias, otters, ducks, etc get lackadaisical during the gators' absence and they may just wind up being supper for a the reptiles!  My crab traps are also considered fair game for the gators but this is a small price to pay for the enjoyment I get from watching them.  Welcome back, Gators!  You have been missed.