alligator found in virginia(link added and pic)

wtkr.com...

Tuesday a boater trveling through the Dismal Swamp in the Intercoastal waterway saw a gator in the water.He got his camera and took pictures.These pictures still are not available on the web but were shown on news channel 3 WTKR.This is not the first report of a gator many have been reported. The only other report that was proven was an 8 foot gator in the late 90s. Manatees have been spotted here along with giant storks. even great whites. I will keep this thread updated. any members from the area please corraborate this story.




the picture shown on the news was much better qaulity. but it is a gator.


[edit on 7/8/2004 by machinegunjordan]

come on someone here has to care. an alligator found this far north is extremely rare. did i mention last year by my house a seal was found in the elizabeth river. along with manatees and giant storks.

even great whites.

I curious as to where you got this from? I would like to see some proof of Great Whites in swamps.

Just out of Curiosity, it's interesting and all, but why post this in "Cryptozoology and Mythical Beasts".

Originally posted by MacKiller
I curious as to where you got this from? I would like to see some proof of Great Whites in swamps.

i think he just meant that great whites have been found as far north as the coast of virginia.

but that's really interesting. my best bet is that it was once someone's pet that they set free when it got too big. as for the other animals, i'm sure they were just following their food. i doubt that an alligator could migrate that far.

I live in Georgia and we have our fair share of swamps. I have yet to see a swamp without gators. As for being that far north i am not suprised, as long as the conditions are right they will be there, Swamps+warm weather= GATORS

Well, someone is keeping an alligator and crocidle as pets in a home pond, not too far from where I live in NH. They escaped a couple of times recently and been found in local swamps.

It wouldn't surprise me if the same thing happened in VA given they're surviving this far north outdoors.

www.theunionleader.com...

hmm new hamshire??? It was in the intercoastal waterway and the weather has been unbearably warm so it has shown signs of swimming up here. Recently a huge 1000 some pound pregnant great white was found nere NC which i live close to there. and aanother one of that size in cape cod. Why they would come here? beats the heck out of me. i have no clue why a seal was here either and the huge stork may have just gotten out of migration psths.the manatees swim up like the gators. this is not the first gator report either. we have had dozens. once in the late 90s an 8 foot gator was killed by a boater here.BTW no great whites in the swamp just off shore. i have personally seen great whites here. deep sea fishing once i jumped out of the boat and started swimming. i was never afraid of sharks because of the times i swim and i do not aggitate them or swim while bleeding. plus the water is so clear you can see them before they could get to you. and i see sharks swimming often but when i saw a great white i got back in the boat.

[edit on 7/8/2004 by machinegunjordan]

I honestly do not believe that YOU saw a Great White swimming.

Also, I was wondering, do you have any other links to back up this 1000lbs Great White story?

nope but 1000lbs is just what i was told. is it too big or something??? but trust me i have seen one.

I have learned from past experience not to take word of mouth from anyone. I was curious as to what kind of boat you had, because I myself, have done some deep sea fishing off the coast of N.S. up here in Canada.

hmmm the boat is my pops. so im not sure but the boat we use for regular fishing is a polarcraft. its a big boat though. hes fishing off the eastern shore as we speak. so ill check it out when he gets home and tell you what kind of boat.

It's not too rare for Virginia.

As the name states the American Alligator is just that and American They range from the border area of Virginia and North Carolina south through southern Florida and west to the Rio Grande in eastern Texas. It follows the Mississippi River drainage north to southern Arkansas and McCurtain County, Oklahoma. Interestingly, human alteration of habitat in Texas is actually increasing it's range in that area. It seems that A.mississippiensis likes to wallow in cattle holes, much to the shock of some unknown cow and rancher.

reptilis.net...

When I lived in Savannah Georgia, I use to see them in the golf ponds all the time. Usually, when they see you they would head in the other direction. That is unless people had spoiled them by constant feeding. If they were use to being fed they would approach people and scare the # out of them. I'd be more worried about the snakes like the copperhead and spiders like the Brown Recluse which are more likely to get ya.
Although, sometimes the occasional Alligator will take the family dog as a meal.

The freaky thing about Alligators is, they blend in real well to the banks and grassy lands like marshes. They also often wander in to peoples pools.

trust me alligators here are rare as heck. and snakes dont scare me ive lived here all my life and gators dont scare me either.

Originally posted by machinegunjordan
plus the water is so clear you can see them before they could get to you.
[edit on 7/8/2004 by machinegunjordan]

If you can see the great white and you are in open water, he CAN get to you. Great Whites possess remarkable speed for short distances, and humans see very poorly underwater. The great white would know you were there because of its lateral line and ampullae of Lorenzini long before you even suspected a shark was in the water.

On another note, great whites have been found in every ocean in the world, they often roam along each coastline of the United States and there is no real coast that humans inhabit that they couldn't get to. Great white sharks need massive bodies of water that have decent depth to survive, and a swamp simply could not support them.

The only shark that can survive in fresh water is the Bull or Zambezi shark.

Sharks scare the heck out of me so I wouldn't be seen anywhere near the open ocean but I have heard most "maneaters" have a an underserved reputation and are most likely to leave you alone. Is this true?

no duh how would a shark live in a swamp why would someone bring that up? and buddy i know what im talking about. swimming 5 feet away from a boat makes it hard for a shark to get you.

It is true that they are not the human-eating-machines that they are labeled as, and that a lot of attacks on humans are either a case of mistaken identity or what is called a inquisitory bite.

For instance, if a person wants to know if something may be edible we pick it up and examine it with our hands. But sharks have no other particular way to interact with their environment besides their mouth. So when they see a human floating in the ocean, they swim up and bite the person to see if they are edible. Unfortunately, this bite causes massive blood loss and often leads to amputation of an appendage, or worse.

Of course sharks do occasionally attack humans all-out, and this usually leads to death, but such attacks are rare.

Originally posted by machinegunjordan
and buddy i know what im talking about. swimming 5 feet away from a boat makes it hard for a shark to get you.

I was referring to when you are more than 5 feet from a boat, I suppose that I consider most ocean-swimmers to swim further than 5 feet from the boat.

Just so you know though, if you seem to think that you have any chance with a shark in open water more than 20 feet from a boat, you are in for quite a surprise should the incident occur.

Brother... I live in Florida and they are a dime a dozen here... but I grew up in VA. and I guess it is kind of odd...

Still... I seem to remember as a kid they sold baby gators (like turtles with those little plastic containers and palm trees) Maybe one was 'released into the wild'