If an alligator can’t internally regulate their body temp then how do they do it? It’s simple when a sandbar is warmer than the water, gators will exit and bask in the sun.

Unlike people, alligators are cold-blooded, meaning they are not able to regulate their own body temperature. They want to eat, reproduce and maintain the proper body temperature. if you point right at it, he might enter the water when you’re not even 30 yards away.Following these suggestions, we will sometimes pass by a 10 footer within 10 yards, but We try our best not to disturb them and have found the best way to keep them from entering the water is to not point your kayak directly at them and to utilize a smooth calm stroke. An erratic or fast-moving paddle seems to freak gators out. We often kayak with alligators, and sometimes we must pass them while they are sunning themselves on a beach or sandbar. What do you do when kayaking with alligators?Īlligators are considered docile and, for the most part, don’t want to have anything to do with you. However, you still need to remember an Alligator does not see you as prey, but they can associate you with a meal.

If an alligator starts to associate people with a meal, then at that point, they can become dangerous. Fisherman will often clean their catch of the day at the local boat ramp, then throw the waste in the water. Who feeds a wild Alligator? The most common instance in our area is a fisherman. This is why it is so important not to ever feed an alligator! If this starts to happen, then the answer is yes, alligators can be dangerous to kayakers.

My point is an alligator does not see a human as a food source, with one critical and super frustrating exception, and that is if an alligator is being fed by humans.

The most abundant small mammal that an alligator eats in our location would be a raccoon, not a zebra. Ok, you might notice the word small mammal. Typically, an adult alligator will prey on fish, snakes, turtles, small mammals, and birds. Now, let’s consider what the American Aligator eats. With that said, Nile Crocodiles regularly eat animals that are twice as large as a full-grown adult human. We have all seen those crazy videos of wildebeest crossing the crocodile-infested rivers in Africa. When comparing the American alligator to the Nile Crocodile, the most important difference is what they eat. If you are interested in one of our kayak tours please don’t hesitate to book one today! It is designed more to educate the general public if they plan to kayak with alligators. This article isn’t designed to convince you to kayak with alligators, although we would love to take you out. They have teeth, they are mean-looking, and they look very similar to the well-known saltwater crocodiles in Australia and Africa. It makes total sense that our customers would be afraid of these normally docile animals.

Prey safe code