Did you know alligators are incredibly gentle mothers and extremely protective of their babies? You might not think of alligators as tender parents but watch this sweet video of an alligator mom named Kiawah, and you'll change your mind!
The video was posted by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, a research unit of the University of Georgia located in Aiken, South Carolina. For the last 70 years, the Laboratory has conducted "scientific research and outreach from atoms to ecosystems."
This #NationalWildlifeDay, we're sharing a sweet moment with one of our favorite gator moms, Kiawah, as she helps her newest little hatchling out of the nest and into the water. While Stumpy, her loyal counterpart isn't in the video, Kiawah's got everything under control to make sure their baby feels right at home!💚🌿
In the video, you can see Kiawah digging into her nest until she finds the hatchling, and then gently picking up the little gator in her mouth. She slowly walks over to the water and releases the hatchling, who happily starts swimming. Someone commented on the Instagram post: "It's so incredible that she can bite down at over 3000 pounds per square inch, but she can be so incredibly gentle"—I agree!
USGS explains that Crocodilians are "one of the few reptile taxa that exhibit parental care." They go on to describe how alligator mothers take care of their offspring:
Crocodilians are one of the few reptile taxa that exhibit parental care. In alligators, following nest construction, females stay nearby in a guard hole, and are known to defend their nests against predators or other intruders. At the end of the 60-day incubation period, alligator hatchlings will vocalize from within the egg, to signal to the mother that they are ready to hatch. At hatch, female alligators will dig open the nest mound to help the hatchlings exit the nest. Alligator mothers will stay with their hatchlings for the next one to two years, protecting them from larger alligators or other predators.
National Geographic Kids explains that the newly hatched gators are only six to eight inches long and "very vulnerable." Thank goodness they have such great mamas to make sure they are safe until they can fend for themselves!
The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory describes its work, stating that it has, for 70 years:
provided an independent evaluation of the impact of Savannah River Site operations on the environment. SREL utilizes basic and applied research at all levels of ecological organization, analyzing the ecological impact of missions at Savannah River Site on everything from atoms to entire ecosystems.
To see more of the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory's work, follow them on YouTube or Instagram.
Previously:
• Alligator has fun in stream
