|
 EXHIBITS
Rare White Alligator
presented by Meijer
A
six-foot long adult white alligator named King Louie, is on exhibit
daily in the HerpAquarium rainforest.
It is an albino American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis,
not a different species. Most white alligators live in zoos. American
alligators with normal coloration live in the wetlands of Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, North
Carolina, Arkansas, Texas and Southeast Oklahoma. Males are larger than
females and can grow to be more than 13 feet long.
King Louie doesn’t move very often
nor very far. In the wild, alligators move when they fight, when they
look for food or when they need to regulate their body temperature. Most
of the time they sleep, bask and hunt by sitting and waiting for prey.
Nature’s Colors
An animal’s color does many things. It may
help it to adapt to its habitat, attract mates or confuse predators and
hide from prey.
Dark colors help animals absorb warmth
from the sun. For ectotherms (cold blooded animals) like alligators,
sunbathing is an important way to control body temperature. A white
alligator risks sunburn just keeping warm.
Camouflage helps many animals escape
notice by predators and hide from their prey when they hunt.
Animals that blend into their surroundings are less likely to be eaten
by predators and may be more successful hunters. So, how would white
alligators do in the wild? Not very well, as their bright white color
against the dark greens and browns of their wetlands habitat would make
them very visible to both predators and prey.
Meet King Louie
King Louie is named for King Louis XVI,
for whom Louisville is also named. He is currently about 6 feet long but
has the potential to reach a length of 13 feet.
Hatched and raised in Louisiana and then Florida, King Louie was
acquired from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine,
Florida. The farm has been in operation for 112 years. It was founded in
1893 as an attraction for tourists.
What's in a Name?
When Spaniards first arrived in the New
World and encountered alligators they called them "el lagarto" which
means giant lizard. Through years of being anglicized, el lagarto became
alligator.
Growth Spurt
It takes approximately 25 years for a male
alligator to grow to a length of 13 feet. It takes another 30 years for
that same animal to reach 16 feet.
How Rare?
There are over 2 million alligators in the
United States. Only about 40 of those are albino. |
