Baby Alligator Beats the Florida Heat With a Dip in a Public Fountain
While the true start of summer is still almost a full month away, it already feels like the season's here, especially now that we've hit the Memorial Day milestone. The days are getting longer, the fireflies are starting to pop out at night, and temperatures are going up day after day. So long, low electrical bills, and hello to swimming pool parties and lazy beach days.
Down in the Sunshine State, everyone's already feeling the heat, regardless of whether they walk on two legs or four. A local in Palm Beach Gardens recently caught a baby gator getting his summer vibes on early, filming him as he took a dip in the town's public fountain!
In the video (shared to TikTok by @abcnews), the camerawoman can be heard saying that it's Mother's Day, but this baby gator apparently ditched his own mother for a solo pool day. Sure, to human eyes, this fountain is just a fountain, but to a foot-long baby gator baking under the South Florida heat, it's a fancy lazy river with big refreshing waterfalls cascading from above. I'd want the fountain to myself, too, if I were his size!
"Sup," says camerawoman Lauren Shrage, apprehensively approaching the relaxed reptile. "Are you having a good day?"
The baby alligator didn't react to Lauren's friendly questions, his snout facing the cooling fountains. Maybe he didn't hear her over the noise- or maybe he was just too blissed out to care.
Chilling Out as a Cold-Blooded Reptile
As cold-blooded reptiles (or, more accurately, "ectotherms"), alligators rely on the heat from their environments to control their body temperatures. Alligators and crocodiles become sluggish or even dormant if it's too cold outside, but the same thing can happen when it gets too hot. According to Tom Ryan from Mom.com, alligators are most active between 82 and 92 degrees Fahrenheit, and once those temperatures start climbing over 92 degrees, they need to find a way to chill out.
One way alligators cool off is by opening their mouths, which is why you'll often see basking alligators sporting an eerie, open-mouth grin. Ryan explains that this releases heat in a way similar to what dogs do when they pant. If that still isn't cutting it, though, a dip in some cool water might just do the trick. Alligators are very opportunistic creatures, and as long as a body of water suits their needs, they won't care if it's a natural marsh, a pond at a golf course, or a public water fountain.
With the weather heating up, aliigators are becoming more and more active in their respective regions, particularly when they're near bodies of water they can use to regulate their body temperatures. Because of that, people who venture near bodies of water known to be inhabited by gators (such as lakes, bayous, swamps, and ponds) need to stay alert. While alligator attacks on humans are rare, they can be deadly, as evidenced last year when an alligator fatally attacked a woman walking by a neighborhood lagoon in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
American alligators can be found all throughout the southeastern US. If you live in an area with a known gator population, be careful when swimming or boating in fresh and brackish bodies of water. GatorWorldParks.com specifically advises against swimming at dusk or dawn, as this is when alligators are most active. Even outside those times, though, stay observant, and if you spot a gator, always try to keep at least 30 feet between you and it.
Oh, and considering the above video of the baby gator's impromptu "pool" day, you might also want to watch your fingers the next time you toss a penny into a water fountain.
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