There’s a slight chill in the air, and the alligators are frisky. Turn the sound up if you want to hear this big fella booming* (a sort of guttural roar) in response to other gators booming in nearby sloughs:
I took that video from my upstairs side porch at about 9:30 AM. I’m guessing the gator is around six or seven feet long and was located about 30-40 yards from where I was standing.
A stout fence separates my still somewhat flooded yard from the river, but when the gators started booming, I whistled for the dogs and went upstairs. There’s a primordial instinct involved.
That said, gators don’t make my top 10 list of scariest things in Florida. It’s the fucking humans you gotta look out for around here.
Open thread.
*I’ve read that gators boom to convey info on their size and location to other gators. That said, I’ve heard what sounds like a 12-foot gator boom coming from a 4-foot gator. But I’m not a gator myself (except in the sense of being a University of Florida graduate and sports fan), so there may be subtleties I am missing.
PS: Speaking of the Florida Gators, this is an actual hat I wear on game days when the weather is cold enough. Also, I am not a crackpot!
piratedan
bet you look adorbs in it too, the hat serves as good camouflage when out in public too…..
ty for sharing your respect of the co-inhabitants.
NutmegAgain
ZOMG Stay safe in Jurassic Park! I’m glad your dogs don’t insist on swimming …
Mrscoachb
You need to check out the new series (Prime I think) “It’s Florida, Man”. Real stories of Florida crazies. I have always said FL is the Wild West in flip flops.
PS that is a great hat!
Drunkenhausfrau
Yikes! 😳
Kay
Oh that’s wild. Thanks. I love it.
Trollhattan
Betting Mel Blanc could have had a lot of fun convincing gators he was a 14-footer.
Was at our little zoo one time the dude lion was out and loudly bragging about the lady lion with his new cubs. The place practically shook.
Elizabelle
Full service blog. And I love the hat.
J. Arthur Crank
Are the gators talking about the size of their entire bodies, or the size of something else?
Elizabelle
I am thinking Dr. Hook and Smee. Disney got the gator moves right.
Rose Judson
Intellectually, I can appreciate the beauty of this apex predator’s singing.
Emotionally: yiiiiiiiiiiiiikes
Dorothy A. Winsor
I can’t imagine living with that primitive looking gator that close.
Ben Cisco
Happy Birthday to me!! 🎂
Belafon
@Ben Cisco: You, too? Happy birthday. Today I am eligible for the senior menu at Denny’s.
Baud
That video is amazballs. Prehistorically awesome.
@Ben Cisco:
@Belafon:
🎈🎊🧁🧁🎉🎉🎊
raven
Pouring on the Panhandle. Go Dawgs!
Scamp Dog
@Belafon: Huh, I’ve been eligible for the senior discount at Denny’s for nine years now, according to Mr. Google.
M31
awww that happy little gator is purring
(said from a very safe distance)
Old School
@Elizabelle:
“Smee, we’ll catch Peter Pan and make the cover of the Rolling Stone!”
Betty Cracker
@raven: That front is supposed to blow through here tomorrow. I hope the fish are biting for you on the other side of it!
@Ben Cisco: & @Belafon: Feliz cumpleaños!
zhena gogolia
@Rose Judson: Same here. I would be so terrified.
I guess I should be happy with our bobcat I haven’t seen yet, except in the neighbors’ pictures.
Rose Judson
@Ben Cisco: Happy Birthday!
MazeDancer
Gators boom with their mouths closed? Maybe I missed the moment it opened its snout to roar.
Having cats, could not live that close to the jaws of death.
But I enjoyed watching. And extremely well shot footage!
zhena gogolia
@Ben Cisco:
@Belafon: Happy Birthday to you both!
JPL
@Ben Cisco: Have a wonderful day
cope
I miss the birds and gators since we left Florida. I loved kayaking and canoeing and even snorkeling amongst them.
On a solo kayak afternoon, I pulled up next to a big gator in the water lilies to get a close-up picture of his head because a large dragonfly (damselfly?) was sunning right on top of it. I raised my shitty little digital camera, pushed it to max optical zoom (3 or 4X), framed the shot and then…froze. It occurred to me that maybe, just maybe the loud shutter noise of the camera might trigger an unfortunate reaction. I was about his body length away from him and passed on snapping the shot. Discretion, valor, you know…
JPL
My brother who turned off Fox news and still has a crush on Kamala, is under going heart by pass surgery. Yesterday he went in for a heart catherter test and surgery today. I’m hoping to hear something by 2, but we’ll see.
Baud
@JPL:
🤞
Happy to hear about his conversion.
Geminid
There are five House races that have not been called yet, and one of them is a real squeaker. The latest count in the California 44th CD shows Democtran Derek Tran leading Rep. Michelle Steel by 102 votes with 94% counted. This LA-adjacent district was flipped in the 2018 Blue Wave and then retaken by Steel in 2020.
The four other uncalled races are forthe Alaska at-large seat currently held by Democrat Mary Peltola, the OH09 seat held by Democrat Marcy Kaptur, the Iowa 1st CD held by Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and snother California seat. That would be the 9th CD in the Central Valley, where Republican freshman John Duarte has a 2200 vote lead with 86% counted. Duarte won by less than 1000 votes last time.
Maxim
Love the hat! Very cool video, but I applaud the “stay far away” instinct.
Happy happy to the birthday celebrants!
zhena gogolia
@JPL: I’ll be thinking of you. I still have a crush on Kamala too.
Lyrebird
@Ben Cisco: Happy B’day to you, and happy continued mending etc to Mom Cisco and to your lovely lady.
@Belafon: Many happy returns of the day to ya!
Lyrebird
@Betty Cracker: Thanks for that amazing video!
And yeah, as soon as I started watching, I thought, oh I hope the dogs were inside and not out in the yard as she filmed this… WOW.
Elizabelle
@Old School: LOL. Took a moment, but yes indeed.
JPL
@zhena gogolia: I want Biden to resign so she’ll become the first female president. Of course, they need to approve the judges first.
Betty Cracker
@cope: Lots of folks kayak or paddle board here on the Withlahoocheecoochee but not I! Prefer to have some raised gunnels to discourage the large adult reptiles. Ever see this YouTube of a gator coming after a woman on a paddle board at a spring in Ocala? It made the local news stations when it happened a while back.
Jackie
I could fall asleep listening to those gators. Crazy how soothing those sounds are!
ArchTeryx
The booming’s accomplished by vibrating air in their gular pouches (the pouch under the chin connecting jaw with throat; the giant pouches on pelicans are just oversized gular pouches). They aren’t actually roaring, but vibrating, and the bigger the mouth and pouch, the bigger the boom. Note how their throat inflates when they boom. They have precious little vocal equipment and are silent 99% of the time, but when they give voice, you remember it.
chris green
A fence might not do the job – alligators can climb ’em!
Trollhattan
@M31: I like how he’s peering skyward, as though a Russian soldier scanning for drones.
ArchTeryx
@J. Arthur Crank: They’re reptiles. They don’t have that equipment. It’s actually the size of their bodies for a change!
ArchTeryx
@Trollhattan: Lion roars are impressive, but they really only roar for one reason: A vocal way of marking territory, just like the gators. That’s his enclosure, his lioness and his cubs, thank you very much, and you’re invited to get introduced to his jaws if you disagree.
The only thing more impressive than male lion roars is when two male lions decide to get into a straight-up fight. Believe me: You don’t want to be anywhere near lions having a wrestling match with teeth. It can get uuuuuugly.
That’s part of why they have manes. It’s armor to protect the back of the neck, the head, and the throat. Because these fights can very easily end with both participants so damaged they both starve.
Trollhattan
@chris green:
Brings to mind this video. (They couldn’t say “Ding-dong, motherfucker” on the local news.)
cope
@Betty Cracker: Ah, had not seen that video, thanks.
I really enjoyed playing “how close can I come” with the gators unless they were moms with youngins about. The most afraid I ever got was when I paddled into some lilies and heard what sounded like birds chirping. When I looked down, I saw half a dozen or so baby gators right next to my kayak. They were the source of the chirping and I considered the possibility they were calling for mom. I back paddled right the way out of there.
Bobby Thomson
Sounds a little like an old pull chain toilet
ArchTeryx
@cope: Probably curious more than anything, but when mom arrived, she may not have been so amused. You did exactly the right thing – give them a wide berth!
Betty Cracker
@JPL: Beat wishes for a full and speedy recovery.
JPL
@Betty Cracker: Thanks
CaseyL
Betty – You live in a magical place: so much wildlife, so close. As long as you can be close to the Wild, I can understand why you stay in Florida.
6-7 feet, though? That’s a little guy! Maybe that size qualifies as a big ‘un these days, but once upon a time the gators in Florida could get to 13 feet or more.
@Ben Cisco:
@Belafon:
Happy Natal Day to you both!
@ArchTeryx:
Kevin Richardson (“The Lion Whisperer”) runs a lion sanctuary in South Africa for lions who were bred or raised domestically (most rescued from canned hunt enterprises or roadside zoos) and therefore can’t be released into the wild.
His lions live in prides in 5(?) acre enclosures next to one another. They don’t all get along, and sometimes get into shouting contests with one another. It is something to hear, multiple lions and lionesses roaring back and forth – and that’s on video; I can’t imagine what it would be like to be there and hear it in person.
lowtechcyclist
@Belafon:
Happy birthday, young ‘un!
Been eligible for the Seniors Menu for >22% of my life so far.
CliosFanBoy
This is why I don’t go that far South, Nosirreebob. I am not going anywhere where the wildlife looks at me and thinks, “Lunch,” and can make good on the threat.
Betty Cracker
@CaseyL: I see 12-footers regularly and hear reports of sightings of creatures as large as 15 feet. There are more gators now than there were when I was a kid. You’d see them back then, but now they’re everywhere. The state really ought to raise the bag limit.
Elizabelle
@JPL: I want that too! Example A of what we could have had (President Harris).
ArchTeryx
@CaseyL: Enough to shake the ground. If spraying and cheek-scenting isn’t enough to keep rival prides away (and in a small enclosure, it’s hard for rival prides to avoid one another) they’re going to get into shouting contests. And the lionesses will join with the males. Roaring can also be a way for a pride to reaffirm its bonds – the end scene of The Lion King with Simba and his lionesses roaring back and forth to one another actually happens in real life!
Trollhattan
Oh Marge, launching the House Welcome Wagon.
Huh, “invading our spaces.” Wonder what that’s like, eh Marge?
Trollhattan
@Betty Cracker:
How about “With every two pythons, you get one gator.”
JPL
@Trollhattan: She also threatened to release the Epstein files that implicate others if they release the ethics report.
okay by me, but maybe not by the Don
ArchTeryx
@Trollhattan: Fuck ’em both and use it anyway. What are they going to do, have her arrested? Cockwombles.
Baud
@JPL:
Why would she have any files related to Epstein?
bluefoot
@Geminid: Thanks for the update! I’ve been avoiding the news since it has been taking a serious toll on my mental health but have been wondering how the uncalled races were going esp in CA.
JPL
Decades ago, I lived in Lake Charles and we woud drive south to Cameron county and walk along a board walk into the marsh. One weekend there were dozens of gar fish. The following weekend we had company so brought them to boardwalk. Long story short, the gar fish were gone, and suddenly many eyes were staring at us. Time to grab the dogs and head back to civilization. Gators are scary.
JPL
@Baud: Maybe trump gave them to her minus the ones implicating him. haa
I saw it on Mediaite. I hope she runs for Senate because Kemp is popular and could give Ossoff a close race.
HeleninEire
Yeah, so this is why I don’t swim in the ocean or go camping. There’s nature in there!
Seriously, I would rather deal with the NYC pickpockets and muggers!
bluefoot
Does the gator sound kind of like a TARDIS to anybody else?
Trollhattan
@JPL: And gar are not small. Ironically, there’s also an alligator gar.
JPL
@HeleninEire: When I lived in LA, a client of mine would go water ski where gators were.
Our own Betty boats among them.
J.
Love the video and the hat! And the humans here scare me more than the gators do too.
JPL
@Trollhattan: I’m sure that Betty knows the feeling, because even before you see the gators, you feel them watching you.
JPL
@Baud:
Yes..
all the ethics reports and claims including the one I filed
all your sexual harassment and assault claims that were secretly settled paying off victims with tax payer money
the entire Jeffrey Epstein files, tapes, recordings, witness interviews
but not just those, there’s more, Epstein wasn’t/isn’t the only asset
If we’re going to dance, let’s all dance in the sunlight.
I’ll make sure we do.
Geminid
@JPL: Brian Kemp would be tough to beat in a Georgia primary or Senate race. I’m hoping he passes on the Senate race though, and runs for President instead. He’ll likely be the early favorite if he does.
Baud
@JPL:
I guess she’s threatening other Republicans because I’ve never seen a Dem care about what’s in the Epstein files.
Baud
@Geminid:
Almost certainly will, I’d imagine.
Old School
The original video made the rounds here back in July. This video appears to be shortly after that.
JPL
@Geminid: If Marj ran against him, I’d vote in the republican party for her and I’m sure other dems would also. It would be our civic duty.
rikyrah
That hat is cute, BC.
zhena gogolia
@Old School: I am sobbing. The contrast between what we had and what we’re about to have is diabolical.
Quinerly
@JPL:
I came here with this link. Glad I started reading the thread first.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-gop-covered-up-sexual-harassment-and-assault-claims/
Geminid
@Baud: Conversation at a future Republican Governors conference:
Glenn Youngkin: Brian, let me know if I can help you win that Senate race. My term’s up in 2025, and I can be there every step of the way.
Brian Kemp: Sure thing, Glenn. Looking forward to it.
Ben Cisco
@Belafon: Happy Birthday 🎂
JPL
@Quinerly: She needs to get her house in order, first.
Old School
Ben Cisco
Thanks everyone!!
sab
@Betty Cracker: Just showed paddleboard video to husband whose comment was “and I bet she’s allowed to vote.”
frosty
LOL Nice one! Why didn’t I ever think of that? We’ve been on that bike trail and it never crossed my mind.
ETA I’m with you on the raised gunwales. I’ve canoed on a couple of rivers, watching the gators swim by, then looked over at the kayakers and … nope!
jackmac
Gators would scare the hell out of me, but I live in a suburban (borderline rural) area in Illinois where we have no such creatures. Instead we have deer and coyotes who lurk and howl and get my dog all fired up. Coyotes, however, are usually pretty shy around people.
Belafon
Thanks for all the birthday wishes.
JPL
@Belafon: Happy Birthday
CliosFanBoy
@sab:
the gator??
gene108
@JPL:
It’d also fuck with all the Trump 47 themed merch that’s floating around.
Betty Cracker
@gene108: Ha! I hadn’t thought of that!
Betsy
WOW. I was literally borned on the U campus, went to bebe gator preschool, used to catch baby gators with flashlights from a canoe (temporary cardboard box pets) with my cousins, spent years of my life in fla swamps and lakes and “puh-rairies”, and I have never heard/seen anything that WILD! Dinosaurian.
Thanks for the remarkable video!!
CaseyL
@Betty Cracker:
I didn’t realize gators were that numerous! They were actually on the Endangered Species list back in the 1960s. It’s wonderful they’ve made such a great comeback.
@ArchTeryx: Ooh! When were you in a position to hear them roar and feel the ground shake? (Africa was on my bucket list until I decided to never fly again for… reasons.)
Manyakitty
@Ben Cisco: happy birthday 🎈 🎂!
Manyakitty
@Belafon: happy birthday! 🎈 🎂
mrmoshpotato
Excellent hat!
As for the gators, ok boomers!
Chacal Charles Calthrop
@ArchTeryx: Thks! I have to say, whether it’s how to resist tyranny or just (like this) useful info, I always appreciate your posts.
at least, until us dissenters get literally fed to the lions (or alligators, if we’re in Florida), in which case all these May become actually useful posts….