In video footage uploaded on social media by Owen Lauer, a mother alligator is seen in Florida, limping to the nest and taking it apart to get her babies.
A Newsweek report said a three-legged mother alligator has been spotted "tenderly caring for her babies" by building a nest for them and carrying them to the edge of the water.
The mother alligator created this large nest with twigs and sticks, among others, and is now shielding her babies with her life with only three limbs, wrote Lauer on a Facebook post.
In her social media post, Lauer said if this does not show people how incredibly fascinating and resilient these animals are, he doesn't know what will.
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Alligators are completely ‘misunderstood.’ Staying with their babies for up to two years from hatching reveals that.
Parental Care in Alligators
As described in the Facebook post, alligators are completely "misunderstood." Staying with their babies for up to two years from hatching reveals that. He said he felt very blessed to witness this.
Most other reptile species do not show much parental care after they lay their eggs, or their young are born, a similar Hanlire report said.
Alligator Mom with Three Legs Cares for Babies: ‘Totally Misunderstood’ https://t.co/EZMjiqXlNs
— Hanlire (@HanlireCom) September 15, 2022
According to herpetologist Coleman Sheehy, from the Florida Museum of Natural History, parental care is very well developed in alligators.
The expert added, that mothers are building nests, guarding them against predators, and helping them to incubate within an acceptable temperature range.
When the eggs are all set for hatching, the babies call to their mother with a unique vocalization, which is stimulating the mother to dig to expose the eggs.
Less Care, More Chances of Dying Early Among Baby Alligators
The moment the eggs get exposed, the mother will often help her babies hatch by gently biting the shells. Then, the babies have hatched and their mother gently picks each one up in her mouth and then, carries them to protect them for up to two years, a related NDTV report said.
Such a protection level helps more baby alligators to survive. Furthermore, caring for the young takes a great amount of energy from the parents, which they could otherwise employ to have many more babies.
Nevertheless, with less care, these young become more susceptible to dying before they even reach adulthood.
Assistant professor at the Department of Forestry & Environmental Conservation, Clemson University Cathy Bofinof Jaworski said, "the benefits of providing parental care in the alligator system is that it substantially rises the chances that some of the offspring will reach adulthood and therefore and, thus, that the female is successfully passing on to future generations, her genetic information.
She added, that hatchling alligators have many potential predators "which include larger alligators, mammalian carnivores, and even large birds such as herons."
Emotions Caused by Endocrine System
Sheehy explained that the mother alligator might even feel something like what humans feel such as love towards her babies.
Moreover, emotions like love are caused by hormones which are part of the endocrine system. The endocrine systems of mammals and crocodiles, in particular, are still surprisingly akin, therefore, there is good reason to think mother alligators would feel love towards their babies.
Related information about the three-legged alligator is shown on NOLA.com's YouTube video below:
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