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Out of Place
Alligator, likely an abandoned pet, will have a tough time surviving in Lake Hickory
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A 31/2-foot-long alligator sighted in Lake Hickory over the past week is not large enough to pose a threat to small children or pets, a state biologist says.
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Published: May 18, 2008
HICKORY - Elizabeth Hamilton went to Geitner Park on Friday afternoon to sit on the dock and hang out.
When she heard that an alligator had been spotted in Lake Hickory, though, she yanked her toes out of the water.
The alligator, first seen in the lake last Sunday, is still around, but a biologist with the state said it's doubtful that it will survive through the summer.
The alligator was seen Wednesday in a cove on the lake at Eighth Street, NW, and again Friday near Oliver's Landing on the Alexander County side of the lake.
The alligator is likely a pet that was dumped into the lake, said Brad Howard, a biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
"They starve to death because they can't figure out how to eat, or they die some other way," he said. "Alligators his size eat lizards, toads, insects and fish. Maybe a muskrat if he's lucky -- that's if he even figures out how to eat that. He doesn't know how to hunt. He was somebody's pet. I would be surprised if he lives throughout the summer."
Howard said that the alligator could live through a couple of mild winters. However, the water temperatures in Lake Hickory are around 40 degrees in the winter -- too cold for an animal that's used to a subtropical climate.
"When the water temperatures go down, they slow down," he said. "This area is way too far from their natural range. Alligators are usually just north of Wilmington, and then down in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and southern Mississippi and Alabama."
The local alligator is about 31/2 feet long. Although it will get larger, Howard said that it could take years for that to happen -- as many as 10 years for it to grow to even 5 feet.
"In colder temperatures, they grow more slowly. It's tied to the climate. The ones in captivity grow bigger because they're in an artificial environment," Howard said. "Even if he survives the winter, he'll grow very slowly."
Julius Evans, who fishes on Lake Hickory, said he was concerned about the alligator.
"I don't think it should live in the lake. I'm concerned about the kids in it. Keeping the alligator in there sends a message to others. It's not kosher to put nonnative animals in the area," he said.
Howard said that park-goers shouldn't be concerned if they see the alligator because it's not big enough to harm anyone -- even small children or pets.
Just don't try to touch it or feed it.
"That's what trains them to one day hurt people -- when they start associating people with food, they approach them," Howard said. "He's either going to live or he's not. He's not posing a threat to anyone. There's nowhere that we can take him for him to live. The best outlook for him is to live out his short lifespan in the water."
■ Sarah Newell is a reporter for the Hickory Daily Record.
Alligator facts
• This species is found in coastal, southeastern North Carolina. It is usually seen in large streams, canals, ponds, lakes, marshes, swamps and tidal estuaries.
• The alligator is the largest reptile in North America.
• It is a close cousin of the crocodile.
• Male alligators typically grow to 11 to 12 feet long. Females grow to about 8 feet long.
• The longest alligator ever recorded was a male that was more than 19 feet long. Alligators that large are not found in North Carolina.
• Alligators eat only when the temperature is above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Because it is cold for part of the year, North Carolina alligators eat only during the spring, summer and early fall.
• They grow more slowly than alligators that live in warmer climates. North Carolina is the farthest north that the American alligator can exist.
• Alligators are diurnal and nocturnal. They live in large holes called dens, which provide protection from harsh conditions. In the spring and summer, they usually bask outside their dens.
• Alligators have a wide, varied diet but tend to feed mainly on turtles, snakes, small mammals, crayfish, birds and frogs.
• An alligator's snout is short, blunt and rounded. Crocodiles have a long, pointed snout. Unlike alligators, crocodiles do not live in North Carolina.
• To spot an alligator, watch for eyes, head or snout protruding above the water's surface. At night, a flashlight aimed on the water may discern an alligator by its glowing red-orange eyes.
• Alligators are federally protected. Until the 1980s, American alligator populations were in decline because of the destruction of their habitats and being poached for their hides. Populations have now recovered.
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