Recently we returned from the eastern shores of the Gulf of Mexico to attend the memorial service of my beloved, and the kindest and best, Aunt anyone could wish for. It was a lovely service and we loved seeing our cousins and family we don’t get together with often enough. When we weren’t with family, Tom and I went off to explore local habitats and we were fortunate to see some spectacular wildlife in the shortest amount of time imaginable, including a great cloud of flying bats, Gulf Fritillary and White Peacock Butterflies, an Anhinga, Double-crested Cormorants, many different species of herons and shorebirds, Brown Pelicans, White Ibis, and our favorite, four baby American Alligators with their mom. A singular Monarch was fluttering around my Aunt’s garden during the outdoor service. Monarch Butterflies are thought to symbolize the spirits of deceased family members, returning to Earth to be remembered by their loved ones and I felt her presence so very much.
The American Alligator babies we saw were new hatchlings and much smaller than Charles, the juvenile Alligator recently rescued from the Charles River. The four were only about 10-12 inches in length and well-disguised in the reeds growing along the banks of the small pond. Their mom was dozing nearby but also keeping a watchful eye. I read that she stays with the young ones until they are at a minimum one year old and possibly up to three years old. Alligator hatchlings feed mostly on a protein rich diet of insects, snails, worms, mosquito larvae, minnows, and tadpoles. Guided by their mom, the juveniles begin to eat larger prey as they grow. The hatchlings have many predators; Racoons, Great Blue Herons, and other Alligators for example, and there was a much larger Alligator lying in the reeds not too far from the mom and her babes.
On the two days that we observed the Alligator family it was warm and sunny and at mid-day They were in the exact same spot both days. I was hoping to see the hatchlings actively foraging but read that Alligators, including the babies, are both nocturnal and diurnal. They bask in the sun during the day to regulate their body temperature and for the most part, feed at night. The first two clips are of a much larger Alligator that was across the pond in the reeds. The mom is in the third and fourth clips.
Mom and hatchling comparison