Connect with us

Extras News

Locals, Officials Acknowledge Alligator Sightings in Lafayette County

Published

on

By Allen Brewer
Journalism Student
agbrewer@go.olemiss.edu

The photo shows a wetland near the Yocona River in Lafayette County. Photos by Allen Brewer.

Herald Allen still remembers what he saw five months ago.

He was inside his home when he heard his dog began barking. He didn’t think much of it at first; it was probably just a squirrel. He had just moved from San Bernardino, California to rural Lafayette County, Mississippi.

His dog wouldn’t stop barking. Allen decided to look outside to see what was going on. As he looked across the yard, he spotted something long and dark on the edge of his property. 

As he approached it, he noticed the creature was about two-feet long, black and scaley. As he got closer, it dashed away into the forested area surrounding Allen’s property. 

“I thought to myself, they sure have large lizards in Mississippi,” Allen said. 

Allen realized it must have been a young alligator. He called the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) to report the sighting, and he was told that there had been other reports in his area.  

Close Encounters

Allen’s property is located near a stream that flows into the Yocona River. Over the years, other locals have seen alligators in and around the river and wetlands. The MDWFP, however, says that this is generally not the habitat of the American alligator.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mgz68eWVpS8r5I9Gvs0tuzc5fZJzHGah&usp=sharing

The most recent data from the MDWFP website says there are no official records of alligators in 14 of Mississippi’s northeastern counties, which include Lafayette, Yalobusha and Pontotoc. 

According to Ricky Flynt, coordinator for the Mississippi Alligator Program, gator sightings in the Northeast are uncommon but not unheard of. He has received reports of alligators living in all 82 Mississippi counties. 

“The southern two-thirds of the state is the traditional range of the alligator,” Flynt said. “The northeast is definitely where they are less likely to be found.” 

 

Surviving the Cold

Colder weather is one reason gators are not often seen in the northeast portion of the state. 

According to Dr. Edmund Keiser, a retired University of Mississippi biology professor and former researcher at the University Field Station, alligators can survive in colder climates.

Keiser said he witnessed a few alligators in areas around Enid Lake, Sardis Lake and the Springdale Wildlife Management Area, all of which are located, at least in part, in Lafayette County. Kaiser said he has taken biology students to Springdale to see alligators.

“You have to be very quiet and move very slowly to see them, and you should also have binoculars as you cannot get very close (during daylight hours).” 

Keiser compared northern alligator populations to those of another exotic reptile species, the Burmese python. While pythons are native to tropical climates, they have adapted to southern Florida and moved to states like Mississippi. 

Keiser said that both alligators and pythons can survive cold temperatures by submerging their bodies underwater. Flynt also said that alligators can survive under frozen water by becoming dormant on the bottom of rivers. Once temperatures warm up, within 24 hours, the alligators can recover and become active once more, according to Flynt. 

A young 6-foot alligator swims along the Pearl River in Slidell, Louisiana. Photo by Allen Brewer, 2018.

Alligator Movements

During winter, gators go into deep hibernation. In the spring, the gators wake and began looking for mates. From April – June, younger alligators are pushed outside their normal habitats by dominant males

A baby alligator rests on the back of a turtle at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, Mississippi. Photo by Allen Brewer, 2018.

“Those juveniles will move to new areas and, over a long period of time, those alligators could accumulate,” Flynt said.

Flynt has tagged more than 700 alligators in the state and his data shows most male gators only travel about 5 – 6 square miles during the breeding season, but some gators can travel further

Humans may also be responsible for pushing alligators into new territories. 

When gators came off the endangered species list in the ‘80s, Mississippi state wildlife officials reduced the number of strategic relocations of the reptiles. Whether the gators migrated or were transplanted by humans, all that is certain is that locals believe they have seen gators in Lafayette County.

“There are alligators in North Mississippi and several of them,” Tommy Ray Watson, a Lafayette County resident said about seeing a 12-foot gator on his property 20 years ago. “I have seen them and have heard of sightings from my friends. I know they are there without a doubt.”

Ole Miss Men’s Basketball

Mon, Nov 4Long Island University Logovs Long Island University W, 90-60
Fri, Nov 8Grambling Logovs GramblingW, 66-64
Tue, Nov 12South Alabama Logovs South AlabamaW, 64-54
Sat, Nov 16Colorado State Logovs Colorado StateW, 84-69
Thu, Nov 21Oral Roberts Logovs Oral RobertsL, 100-68
Thu, Nov 28BYU Logovs BYUW, 96-85 OT
Fri, Nov 29Purdue Logovs 13 PurdueL, 80-78
Tue, Dec 3Louisville Logo@ LouisvilleW, 86-63
Sat, Dec 7Lindenwood Logovs LindenwoodW, 86-53
Sat, Dec 14Georgia Logovs Southern MissW, 77-46
Tue, Dec 17Southern Logovs SouthernW, 74-61
Sat, Dec 21Queens University Logovs Queens UniversityW, 80-62
Sat, Dec 28Memphis Logo@ MemphisL, 87-70
Sat, Jan 4Georgia Logovs GeorgiaW, 63-51
Wed, Jan 8Arkansas Logo@ 23 ArkansasW, 73-66
Sat, Jan 11LSU Logovs LSUW, 77-65
Tue, Jan 14Alabama Logo@ 5 AlabamaW, 74-64
Sat, Jan 18Mississippi State Logo@ 17 Mississippi StateL, 81-84
Wed, Jan 22Texas A&M State Logovs 13 Texas A&ML, 62-63
Sat, Jan 25Missouri Logo@ Missouri5:00 PM
SECN
Wed, Jan 29Texas Logovs Texas8:00 PM
ESPN2
Sat, Feb 1Auburn Logovs 2 Auburn3:00 PM
TBA
Tue, Feb 4Kentucky Logovs 10 Kentucky6:00 PM
ESPN
Sat, Feb 8LSU Logo@ LSU7:30 PM
SECN
Wed, Feb 12South Carolina Logo@ South Carolina6:00 PM
SECN
Sat, Feb 15Mississippi State Logovs 17 Mississippi State5:00 PM
TBA
Sat, Feb 22Auburn Logo@ Vanderbilt2:30 PM
SECN
Wed, Feb 26Auburn Logo@ 2 Auburn6:00 PM
TBA
Sat, Mar 1Oklahoma Logovs 12 Oklahoma1:00 PM
TBA
Wed, Mar 5Tennessee Logovs 1 Tennessee8:00 PM
TBA
Sat, Mar 8Florida Logo@ 6 Florida5:00 PM
SECN

@ COPYRIGHT 2024 BY HT MEDIA LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. HOTTYTODDY.COM IS AN INDEPENT DIGITAL ENTITY NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI.