Baby
Alligator Otto
 Being
a Florida resident also means being an alligator expert.
If you went to an American public school then you probably know that
alligators, like their relatives, whales and dolphins, are unique members of
the fish family that
breathe through their beaks so they can be on land away from water.
When alligators are between three and four years old they spin the cocoon in
which they spend nine months losing their fur and whiskers and growing a
longer beak and a scaley skin. They retain their low profile but
develop a wider stance and are generally a lot more mellow.
How alligators survive their childhood I have no idea — they're kind of
stupid actually. For example, this one keeps trying to eat
Wermacht,
Carina and me having no idea that although it has very sharp teeth its jaws
just aren't big enough to get the job done. Otto is only a few months
old so we have plenty of time before we have to worry about our safety.
As a matter of fact, Otto is currently trying to eat my left knee.
But, the joke will be on him when he gets down to the metal pins in my bones
and breaks his teeth.
Otto appeared on my doorstep the day before Thanksgiving 2006. I
don't have any idea how he got there but I brought him in and fed him and
let him spend the night indoors in a crate. The next day when I went
to work, I put him back outside so he could return to whatever lake he came from.
When I returned home he was back on my doorstep. I guess you could say
he lives with me now because I haven't been able to find him a home and he
won't go away.
But one way or the other when he spins his cocoon he's out of here!
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