Latest news with #CoastalEcologyLab
Miami Herald
28-07-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
‘Gators everywhere!' Over 100 alligators surround Georgia boat ramp. See photos
A rarely witnessed mass congregation of alligators was recorded at Georgia's Stephen C. Foster State Park near the Okefenokee Swamp, park officials say. The predators mysteriously surrounded the Jones Island boat dock on Saturday, July 26, resulting in a swirling sea of jaws in every direction. 'There were over a hundred of these big beautiful creatures hanging out and putting on a show,' the park reported in a Facebook post. 'The gators have been chilling, swimming around, catching a few fish (and a turtle!), starting a bit of gator drama in close quarters, and letting out the occasional bellow! It's been an amazing thing to see.' Park officials didn't say if the gathering disrupted boat rentals. Stephen C. Foster State Park is remote, about a 295-mile drive southeast from Atlanta and a primary entrance to the 438,000-acre Okefenokee Swamp. It's estimated 12,000 alligators live in the swamp, the park says. Alligators in Georgia can reach 16 feet and 800 pounds, the state says. This is the second July in a row a congregation of alligators formed for unknown reasons near the swamp. The 2024 gathering included 150 alligators filling a mile and a half span of water, the University of Georgia's Coastal Ecology Lab reported. Such congregations involve large numbers of alligators cramming themselves into a small area, University of Georgia Ph.D. student Mark Hoog reported in 2024. 'What we've noticed is it happens during periods of low water, so we think it might have something to do with resources,' Hoog said. 'It might be a feeding event that's triggered during this low water when there's not a ton of resources. They're all coming together, but we're not sure.'
Miami Herald
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
‘Startling' head slaps are part of alligator courtship, Georgia lab says. See video
Male alligators rumble like 'Jurassic Park' dinosaurs during mating displays, but a lesser-known part of the ritual involves something even more dramatic, experts say. 'Have you heard of an alligator head slap?' the University of Georgia's Coastal Ecology Lab asked in a Feb. 17 Facebook post. 'Like bellowing, a head slap is used for courtship and territoriality displays, however, it is not observed in the wild as frequently as bellowing.' 'Amazing video' of a head slap was captured by a visitor to the 640-square-mile Okefenokee Swamp and shared by the lab on social media. It shows a large alligator moving in slow motion in the seconds before it explosively slapped its head against the water. The video had been viewed 18,000 times as of Feb. 26, with some viewers likening the sound to 'a shotgun blast.' 'It kind of does, louder than you would expect,' the lab wrote on Facebook. 'It can be quite startling if you aren't expecting it!' A warning of what is to come happens when the alligator lifts its head and tail out of the water — the same position they assume when making those notoriously loud bellows, lab officials said. 'Rather than emit a deep rumbling bellow, however, the alligator instead rapidly brings its head and tail toward the water, creating a loud slapping sound,' the lab said. 'This behavior is typically done by large males and how loud the slap is signals to any other alligator how big the male alligator in the area is.' The video was recorded by writer and film producer Jennifer Berglund of Savannah, who reported another alligator appeared to pursue the male through the swamp after his display, officials said. 'It would appear as if his performance was well received,' the lab said. The Okefenokee Swamp is in southeastern Georgia, about a 45-mile drive northwest from Jacksonville, Florida.
