DID YOU KNOW? When alligator mothers lay their eggs, they determine the gender of the babies depending on the need in the area. Temperature determines what gender the babies will be, so mothers will survey the area around the nest to gauge the number of females and males. If the area needs more male alligators, she will lay her eggs deep in the nest so that the warmth of the rotting foliage around it will incubate the eggs at a higher temperature. On the other hand, if the area has a shortage of females, she will lay the eggs higher in the nest so that they will produce female offspring. If she lays the eggs in the middle, she will end up with a mix of males and females. As a result of the mother's instincts, the alligator population remains balanced between the males and females. Isn't our Creator a wonderful designer!?!
We have heard a lot about Destin's beautiful white beaches, so we decided to stop by early this week.
Unfortunately, it was chilly and windy, so we only spent a few hours on the beach, but it was enough time to collect some pretty tiny shells for crafting with when we get home. Levi enjoyed building a sand castle in the soft (and cold) sand.
Although our beach time was kind of a bust, we did come across a really cool place to spend a couple hours watching and learning about alligators where it didn't "cost an arm and a leg"...in fact, it was totally free. While the larger gators (up to 5 feet) didn't surface due to the extremely cold weather, we did get to see a bunch of baby gators and yearlings.
The three gators (Salty, Pepper, and Lil' Sugar) in the next two pictures have to permanently live in an indoor enclosure to protect them from the sun. For whatever reason, they cannot produce enough melatonin to darken their skin - meaning that if they were to be out in the sun, they would get dangerously sunburned.
Gator Beach also had opportunities to hold a gator for a photo shoot ($$!) and to feed the gators, which would have been fun...except that it was too cold for them. Apparently, when it gets super cold, they can lay on the bottom and slow their heart rate until they are almost medically dead. This allows them to stay underwater for anywhere between 10 minutes to 8 hours. During this time, they don't eat...so it would have been pointless to buy a bag of gator food.
If you enjoy reading about Florida animals, stay tuned. Next up (assuming the weather complies) will be a post about the docile cow of the sea... the marvelous manatees, and our experience swimming with them in Homosassa, Florida.
Until next time, God bless!
Gotta love all the alligators! They are a cross between my favorite and absolute least favorite animals---I'm still trying to figure it out. Do they scare you?