Saturday, May 2, 2015

Anyone Seeking A True Thrill Should Try Swim With Alligators

By Alta Alexander


There is always something in the news from somewhere around the world of people getting attacked by crocodiles and alligators. Many people try to avoid coming into contact with them while others prefer to actually swim with alligators. Some actually have kids' parties and they seem to be a big hit.

There are many people that are not sure what the difference is between an alligator and a crocodile and to be honest there are many similarities between the two. First of all there are three family groups of crocodiles namely the alligatoridae, the alligator and the caiman fall under this one. The crocodylidae, the gavialidae and the true crocodile falls under the next group. The last one is the gharial. So alligators are a different family from the crocodiles.

A respectable distance should be about sixty feet and if they begin to hiss and also lunge towards one it is their way of saying that the distance is too close. They might seem slow but they are very powerful and can move very fast over short distances. Many people say that not running in a straight line is better, but this is not true as they run in straight lines and cannot keep up the speed for long periods of time.

If ever one comes across one crossing a road do not attempt to move it. It will eventually move along by itself so just be patient. They generally move around during the breeding seasons which are summer and spring. Also never throw anything at them as this can cause injuring or even killing them and it is punishable by a big fine or days spent behind bars.

The most popular specie to be kept captive was the Caiman crocodile but has now been taken over by the Dwarf caimans. They do not grow to be very large and seem to be more available. Their natural habitat is along the Amazon River in South America. They are more nocturnal and will spend their days hiding out in burrows.

Captive ones can be fed with live pinkie mice, earthworms, super-worms, crickets and crayfish as well as krill and turtle pellets. Many feed them goldfish but is has been noted that being fed these continuously can cause a deficiency in Vitamin E. The hatchlings should be fed regularly every two days and sometimes daily. The teenage adults can be fed two to three times a week and the adults one to two times per week.

These are less likely to spend a lot of time in water as they generally live in mostly shaded areas with fast moving water in the wild. They do not like to be in a lot of light during the day and seem to be more active at night. Ensure that their area is large so they can explore and if there is no water in the enclosure it is not a train smash.

Another noticeable difference is that alligators often reach lengths of fourteen to fifteen feet in length, whereas the crocodiles are a little shorter. The salt water crocodile can reach to eighteen feet and others still twenty feet in length. Much smaller species can only reach about five feet and these are the African dwarf crocodile.




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