WHERE HAVE ALL THE ALLIGATORS GONE?

ANAHUAC – Last month's wintery weather brought an unusual snowstorm to our area, and with that, it seems as if it took the gators with it, leaving us asking where they go in the cold. 

Casey Hedges, owner of Porter Processing and the Crawfish Hideaway in Anahuac, answered many questions residents have about our claim to fame–– alligators.  

Known as the "Alligator Capitol of Texas," Anahuac shares the overflow of alligators with surrounding areas. We see them randomly sunning on the roadside ditches, in our ponds, crossing the road and along the bayou's banks until the cold weather hits.  

Where are they when the temperatures drop below 75 degrees and lower, as we have recently experienced? 

"During freezing temperatures, alligators exhibit a fascinating behavior known as 'brumation,' which is similar to hibernation, but for reptiles. In this state, their metabolic processes slow down significantly, allowing them to survive without food for extended periods. They retreat to burrows or dig into the mud at the bottom of bodies of water to insulate themselves from the cold," Hedges said. "Remarkably, if the water's surface freezes, alligators will position their snouts above the ice to create breathing holes, a practice referred to as 'icing.' This adaptation ensures they can maintain a supply of oxygen even when temperatures plummet. Through these ingenious survival strategies, alligators manage to endure the harshest winter conditions, emerging once again as the temperatures rise." 

Hedges explains that as reptiles, the alligator's body temperature changes to match the air temperature. However, when their body temperature drops, they barely move. The most favorable conditions for movement are sunny weather and water temperatures of 90 degrees. 

"The alligator farms maintain water temperatures of 90 degrees when they can," Hedges said. "When reptile body temperatures drop, they get in the water where the temperature is still higher. If you are used to seeing an alligator in your pond and the temperatures drop, he is still there, just under the water." 

Hedges has been learning and working in the business of alligator processing and population control for over 15 years. 

"The alligator population went from endangered to protected and then to nuisance until 1984. The season was open in Texas for hunting from Sept. 10 to Sept. 20 each year," Hedges said. "About 12 to 15 years ago at GatorFest, we saw 1,000 gators brought in for processing. Now, we see about 150 or so. There is not as much market for wild skins now." 

Hedges mentioned that the presence of alligators in residential areas is increasing due to the construction of new homes. They have fewer and fewer acres of habitat.  

He gets up to 16 calls a week to remove an alligator from someone's yard or pond. The reptiles are not harmed but relocated to the wild. New construction in nearby communities pushes alligators to find nesting grounds further east.  

The nests appear in tall marsh grasses during the spring and early summer. Hedges uses a helicopter to fly over private lands to spot nests. He must obtain affidavits from landowners to harvest the eggs on their property.  

Only 50% of the eggs in a nest may be taken to incubation. The nests and processes are governed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.  

"Mating season peaks in June and we pick up eggs in July through the summer using airboats and four-wheelers, depending on the terrain. When we fly over, we mark the nests with GPS coordinates and use those coordinates to ensure that we are on are property stipulated by the landowners," Hedges said. 

Hedges worked part-time for two years in the alligator processing business while an employee of Exxon. In 2020, he left Exxon and took on Porter's Processing as his full-time business.  

So, when the alligators disappear in the freezing weather, remember they are still around. You just cannot see them.