Follow. The thing that really matters was that I could have been peering back into the Jurassic Era through this animal that would not have looked out of place alongside an early dinosaur. However, hunting in the 1900’s decimated the populations of gators, driving them to the brink of extinction. Officially, there are no alligators in Virginia. They also live in swamps, marshes and lakes.” But there’s been gator sightings in Chicago, New … Alligators in Virginia? Off the top of your head, where would you say is the closest wild alligator to you? Most reptiles and amphibians have a three-chambered heart. It could take a decade until there are so many gators in the Old Dominion that it is no longer possible to deny their presence. In many reptile species, however, embryos can develop into either males or females depending on environmental conditions.) Alligators are usually found in freshwater, slow-moving rivers. All contents © 2021 The Slate Group LLC. Virginia allows you to keep primates as pets. There has been no fossil evidence of American alligators found anywhere in VA, despite breeding populations being present not too far south of the state line. Alligators are not currently found anywhere in Virginia, although the natural range may have once extended to the Great Dismal Swamp near Norfolk before they … Gators and their ancestors have moved up and down what is now the mid-Atlantic coast many times over millions of years as the climate has warmed and cooled. Washington, D.C., is only about 150 miles away, as the crow flies, though longer as the gator might swim. The Great Dismal Swamp is a 126,000 acre preserve that straddles Virginia’s border with North Carolina. In the wild, male alligators may grow as large as 14 feet (females reach about 10) and feed on a variety of animals including fish, turtles, snakes, water birds, frogs, and shoreline mammals. This is known as temperature dependent sex determination. Alligators become less common in coastal NC as you move from south to north. Alligators haven't been seen in the sewers of New York for quite a while, but several of the scaly reptiles have been spotted, caught or killed in the waterways of Maryland and Virginia this month. Alligators won’t necessarily pour into Virginia; their movement will be gradual. Animals used for educational and exhibitory purposes need a license. It seemed to me like perfect alligator habitat. Question what's real in the animal kingdom with this guide to animal folklore. Alligators are opportunistic feeders that prey on fish, turtles, snakes, frogs, and waterfowl. A prolonged drop below 80 degrees will result in eggs that don’t develop at all. Cassie Gardner. If the ambient temperature is too low, then all of the alligator offspring will be female, which doesn’t make for much of a breeding population in the long run. Virginia is too cold for American alligators to breed and establish a native population. Gators are frequently seen in … James said that alligators are not listed as a dangerous … Most people think of gators as creatures of Florida and perhaps Louisiana, not realizing that they are common to the west well into Texas. Ashburn, Virginia Folks Find Phenomenal Alligators Pinckney Island The actual northern range of the American alligator is the coastal boundary between Virginia and North Carolina: That will cost lots and lots of money.” It’s much easier to claim that every wild alligator spotted in Virginia is either a figment of someone’s imagination or an escaped pet. Home › Architectural Research › Yes, Virginia, there were alligators!. If there is another gator on the loose, authorities said they don't think people or dogs are in immediate danger. embryos can develop into either males or females, a grown alligator was documented only 5 miles from the Virginia border. By ELMalvaney on August 8, 2017 • ( 11). 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