The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

Pics
Date sort Score sort
oldhenlikesdogs said:
Well my other buff Orpington rooster is laying in the pasture without a head. I gotta do a head count today, no pun intended. I guess it's good the roosters are doing their jobs, but I don't like losing them. My husband can't sit out there until the weekend. I hope I don't lose anymore. It apparently is happening in the early morning. :barnie
Click to expand...

That's sad. So sorry!
 
getaclue said:
seminole, feeding the alligators doesn't do much to prevent them from going after people. In fact the most problematic ones tend to be fed by people, and they associate people with food. That's why it's ILLEGAL. They don't just kill to eat, or to eat it at that time. Yes, anything too large for them to eat, or if they're full, they will save for later. I've read what USF, the supposed leading authority on gators, has said, and a few others. Most of what they say is true, however, they leave a LOT out. Large alligators are territorial, and do defend their territory, regardless of whether it's mating season or not. Anything inside their primary territory, they're going to try to kill. During mating season, they're all over, looking to breed, and they are much more aggressive then, so crossing their path then is a LOT more dangerous. They claim they are opportunistic feeders. What this means is when you're standing at the edge of a lake, stream, ditch, etc., they see you as an opportunity for a meal.

Let's not forget they were on the endangered for extinction list. They've recently been taken off the endangered list, and put on the guarded list. They will admit that last year there were 15,000 calls for nuisance gators. They will admit too, that last year they had to remove 700 of them from golf courses, swimming pools, highways, back yards, front yards, playgrounds, etc. That's just for Florida. That's a lot of calls, and a lot of activity. Due to the sheer number of nuisance gator calls, they're starting to think that the numbers of alligators might be significantly higher than they thought. Well DUH!

Something the alligator counters, and all their research forgot, was that they were doing most of their counting in drought years. What their research failed to tell them is that, when there is a drought, alligators have a defense mechanism. Due to drought, not only water, but food too will be more scarce. They bury themselves deep in mud, and sort of hibernate. They stay moist, and cool under the mud, and because they are cool, and not moving, they don't expend energy. Due to them not expending any energy, they don't need to eat for a year. They can emerge, feed, then return under the mud. They can do this for a few years, until conditions are more ideal for them. Had the alligator counters done some digging on several of the banks of the Hillsborough river, they would have found all those missing alligators.

How do I know this? Well, many years ago, the army corp of engineers decided to re-route the Hillsborough river. It was during a drought, so it was perfect timing, since there was less water flow to deal with. When they began blowing up the banks, to re-route the river, alligators blew everywhere. The explosions that didn't actually blow them out of the banks, made such a commotion that they came pouring out in droves. Suddenly all of Tampa was having serious alligator problems. No dog, or cat was safe. It took them quite some time to deal with the problem. See, I do know a little bit about counting alligators.

Last year, we had high rainfall. The banks on the river are lower. What that means is: "We're Back".
Click to expand...

Wow! You've really done your alligator homework. I can't see that they're on the "guarded" list
 

Similar threads

speckledhen
    • Love
    • Like
The Omega Rocks: The Last & Ultimate Barred Plymouth Rock Flock
37 38 39
Replies
380
Views
16K
speckledhen
speckledhen
talkinboutchickens
    • Like
    • Love
Talkin's Flock Thread
2 3
Replies
20
Views
2K
talkinboutchickens
talkinboutchickens
A
    • Like
    • Love
Airyaman's flock stories
Replies
2
Views
57
Mother of Chaos
Mother of Chaos
Kewpieteef
    • Love
Feather Heaven Flock & Friends
Replies
8
Views
750
TwoCrows
TwoCrows
SnackMeat
    • Love
Snackmeat's Nut Mix Picture Journal
Replies
1
Views
119
Debbie292d
Debbie292d

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom