Hey Rob,
It may be one of a number of things. I don't have setups like that so I have never seen this exact behavior, but the first thing that comes to mind is that he may be entertaining himself with this activity. I have several gators that exhibit recreational behavior with trout chow. Long after they have eaten a considerable amount and are mostly sated they will play the "hunter killer" game. It's quite comical but it's obvious to me that they are doing this to hone their hunting skills and to occupy their minds. This game involves swimming about, sneaking up on the floating trout kibbles and pouncing or attacking them in different ways and methods. They obviously enjoy this activity very much and will play it for hours whether they eat the piece or simply chew it and "kill" it only to let the broken pieces fall to the pond bottom.
Also,... do you have any gravel or pebble in the pond? I ask because gators will sometimes select the right sized rocks and swallow them. Whether this is to add ballast, or to aid in digestion or both I really don't know, but perhaps your guy is searching for a hard substance for this reason.
Other than that,. I am out of ideas.
>>Our young american alligator is showcased in a beautiful indoor exhibit at our wildlife center (made by Habitat Systems). Today, we noticed our alligator swimming to the bottom of his pond and chew on a submerged log (kind of like a dog chewing a bone)...it went on for a few minutes, the gator would then surface, bask, and then dived again to this exact same spot to "chew" again. Is this a behavior that helps keep those pearly whites nice and sharp? I have personally never seen this sort of thing and perhaps it is just a fluke event with a single animal. Anyone else witness this? Thanks, Rob
>>
>>Rob Carmichael, Curator
>>The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
>>1401 Middlefork Drive
>>Lake Forest, IL 60045
>>847-615-4388 office
>>847-283-8563 fax
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