Why do alligators bark?

Question

My female gator yelps or barks randomly, why is this?

Answer 1

Barking is usually performed by hatchlings and sub-adults in order to express fear and distress. It's a call their mother always finds irressistable. Alligators and other crocodilians tend to be very vocal while young, and the males of some species (the American Alligator is one of them) will utter bellows during mating season to attract a mate. Considering that you're asking why alligators bark, I'll assume you've got a hatchling, and would confidently offer that your animal feels threatened or lonely (the young usually stay very close together until roughly three feet in length). These sounds will fade as the animal gets more used to their environment.

As to whether your individual is male or female... only an experienced keeper or reptile veteranarian would be able to tell by way of probing--which is the practice of inserting metal or plastic probes into the underside of the vent to check for the presence or absence of hemipenes. Hatchlings are far too young to draw a definate verdict on, however. Even breeders aiming for a litter of females (achieved by incubating the eggs at higher temperatures--lower temperatures will mostly yield males) wind up with a male or two in a clutch of eggs.

Regardless of the alligator's sex, it should be noted that this species is rarely overly aggressive as hatchlings, but will become so as the animal matures. No amount of handling will ever change how unpredictable these animals are--nor will it affect how much damage they're capable of inflicting; both with the mouth and, eventually, the heavilly-muscled tail. Please note that crocodilians are famous for having the most powerful jaw-closing muscles of any land animal: Their skulls even have a special, hollowed-out, section to allow these muscles to contract rapidly so that they "snap" shut. The muscles holding the jaw in the open position are quite weak... but those muscles are quite meaningless if you've a need to get a gator off a prized body part.

If you're serrious about keeping an alligator long-term, I will suggest an excellant link with accurate advice from a world-recognized expert on the subject, Mr. Adam Britton. Link's below.

http://crocodilian.com/crocfaq/

Happy reading--and most of all, good luck.

Answer 2

Your female alligator is trying to comunicate and let her presence be known to other alligators. What kind of environment is this alligator in ? An alligator does not make a pet. No way. These reptiles have survived for millions of years. If you have a baby alligator and it gets enough to eat it will grow into an adult and will be difficult as well as "very dangerous and deadly" to handle. In my state; "Georgia", it is against the law to even feed alligators. They tend to lose the fear of humans if being fed. Alligators are "predators" and always will be. It is in the "genetic code" of these cold blooded reptiles to hunt and feed in the wild. Here it's not uncommon to find an alligator in your swimming pool or fish pond especially if it is very dry in the habitat that they are accustomed to. In some areas it is now legal to hunt--kill alligators if you have a license from the DNR or State Game and Fish authorities. The alligator tail you see on the menu in some restaurants comes from "alligator farms" that have the proper legal requirenments to farm them. Have the alligator removed by the proper authorites. It may save a life, maybe your own if you keep this animal penned up. I was almost attacked by a large one while on a fishing trip standing on a river bank. They are very stealthy animals. If they are hungry they are even more dangerous. I hope you do the right thing before it gets out of hand.

Answer 3

i have raised gators for over 35 years and they don't bark.how old is she?if she pretty young shes giving a distress call calling for mother.by the way,how do you know she's a she?you can't sex a gator till it's up there in age where most people don't want to handle them.the reproductive organ of gators look alike on both and female and it usually takes an expert to tell you which.90%of the time,i have encountered people with gators they,think they have one sex but,it turns out they have another.
and honestly,your questions stresses me cause,you evidently are not experienced with gators,which can be very bad for you but,very bad for the gator too.PLEASE!!!!!! E-mail me with any questions and concerns,i hate to see gators not cared for in the proper [e-mail]. gators can be wonderful as pets but theres a lot you need to know like if you expect it to remain half way tame it's gonna take some work but,it can be done.my oldest gator i got over 35 years ago from bob irwin father of the late steve irwin.i've never been bit but,thats cause i know my gators.so be safe and feel free to contact me.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

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The first is simple; you must win your dogs mind. If you don’t achieve this first then you will be struggling the all the way. When I talk about winning your dogs mind what I really mean is that your dog looks to you for all the decisions. Before you do anything else watch one of the amazing video sites that show you the 5 Golden rules to establishing yourself as the pack leader. If you aren’t putting these in place then you are setting yourself up to fail. Just at the crucial point where you really want your dog to listen they will go and do their own thing. For sure your dog may play ball occasionally or even most of the time, you may even have a dog that is obedient 99% of the time, however if you want a dog who always listens to you and does as you ask then you need to win your dogs mind.

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Answer 6

Alligators bark as a defense mechanism. Most likely she's frightened. Keep handling her and she should do fine. Good luck !
Nick

Answer 7

Mine does it too. It will do it when people are really close to it. But its more like a gelp/gulp. Its what they used to get there mothers or other alligators.

Answer 8

i can make it my new best chum!! yet then it would want to attempt to chew my hand off, so shall we grow to be frenemies.... and that i might want to provide it away to the zoo. i am going to bypass over that little guy.... *sniffles*

Answer 9

because if she meowed then that would be ridiculous!!!
lol
maybe she's happy to see you!

Answer 10

hmmm...mating season?