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Every effort is being made to show photographs of
specimens that originated in Duval County. As information is put online for each
species, locale of photographed animals will be identified by county.
All photo credits are given on the page for each species. If you have any photos
that can be used on this site, PLEASE email me
(webmaster)
with anything that can be used.
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The American alligator is a very
impressive animal, especially if seen up close in the wild.
Once protected due to near extinction, these reptiles have made a remarkable
comeback. So remarkable that alligator
farming is a thriving trade and regulated hunting seasons exist. These large (averaging around 13 ft. and reaching
18 ft. and weighing almost 500 pounds) reptiles thrive in swamps and river systems of the
south.
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Alligators will eat almost ANYTHING! Common food items include racoons, muskrats, birds,
turtles and snakes. Young also feed upon
insects, shrimp, tadpoles and frogs. Adults
feeding on large mammals can be a traumatic sight for the faint-hearted. They cannot chew so they bite and either roll
quickly to tear off limbs, or thrash the head back and forth to let the force of the
movement to tears off parts. Alligators, due
to their size and respect that they command in the wild, are very popular exhibit animals. Close to us in northeast Florida, the world famous
St. Augustine Alligator Farm in (guess where?) St. Augustine, Florida, boasts being the
only place in the world where you can see EVERY species of alligator and crocodile known
to man.
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