If you visit the Okefenokee Swamp or other wetlands in South Georgia this time of year, you may hear some peculiar, high-pitched chirping or squeaking that seems to emanate from the thick vegetation.
The sounds most likely are from newly hatched baby alligators. Between now and the end of September is prime gator hatching time in the vast Okefenokee and other wetlands.
In Georgia, alligators typically live in swamps, shallow ponds, wet prairies and other wetlands along and south of the fall line, which roughly traverses the cities of Columbus, Macon and Augusta. Any gators found north of the fall line probably were relocated there by humans.
The greatest concentration of alligators in Georgia by far is — no surprise — in the 438,000-acre Okefenokee in southeast Georgia. An estimated 10,000 to 13,000 of the reptiles live there.
The eggs from which the babies are hatching were laid in late June or early July in 3-feet tall, mound-like nests of mud and vegetation. Females laid an average of 32 to 46 eggs in each nest and left them to incubate by natural heat. Now, some 65 days later, the 6- to 8-inch babies are emerging. They will live for a while in small groups, called “pods.”
They start chirping even before they come out of their eggs and continue vocalizing after emerging. The eerie sounds, similar to a puppy’s whimpering, help the babies communicate with each other and with their watchful mother, who frees them from their nest.
Earlier this month, heavy rain from Tropical Storm Debby raised Okefenokee’s water levels to their highest point since 2010. Biologists feared the high water would drown alligator nests, but surveys indicate the damage was minimal. “We’re expecting a productive alligator hatching season,” said Georgia state park ranger C.B. Adams.
Even so, the newborns will face a treacherous time: Only about 20% will survive their first year because of a variety of predators, from wading birds to bobcats. But the few that make it to adulthood (about 7 feet in length) will themselves become the swamp’s top predators.
IN THE SKY: From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The moon will be last quarter on Monday. Venus is low in the west just after sunset. Mars and Jupiter rise in the east about four hours before sunrise. Saturn rises in the east around dusk.
Charles Seabrook can be reached at charles.seabrook@yahoo.com.
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