Just another alligator in the neighborhood

I’m never quite sure, when I first take the dogs out early in the morning what backyard visitor I’ll encounter. It could be a raccoon, an armadillo, a grey fox, a feral cat -- or an alligator. Alligators of various sizes often wander through the yard. They might come from the pond down the hill heading for the wide open spaces of Paynes Prairie State Preserve. Or for reasons best known to them, they may leave the comparative vastness of the Prairie (especially during drouth conditions) and aim towards the downhill neighborhood pond. Many of the gators seem to make it as far as our yard and then take a break for an hour (or a day) before continuing their journey. If they’re small we try to see them safely across the roadway, carrying them in whichever direction they seem to be heading. If they’re large we wish them well, but they must journey at their own speed.

Our latest visitor was 30-inch-long juvenile that I noticed peering at me from the toad puddle at the edge of the yard. He stopped, rehydrated and rested for a few hours, then continued unaided. I hope it reached its destination safely.

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.