Gator

[FLAG!]

Okay, I'm not crazy and like to believe I'm not stupid. However, I've thought long and hard about what it was I saw in the water on Saturday near Dow island. While fishing with a partner we both commented on how much a stick floating in the water looked like an alligator. It was drifting motionless. It had a long-ish body portion just poking above the water and the perfect shape of the eyes and snout, just the way a gator floats in the water. We even joked about it being a gator. The stick was roughly 150 feet away from us. But after about 5 minutes the stick quickly went under, head first with a nice swirl in the water behind it. I thought it could have been an otter or a beaver, but the back was too rough and bumpy to be either and I have never seen a beaver rest motionless in the water, and I don't believe I've ever seen otters in the lake. I've seen them at umbagog but not winni.

So I am not convinced that what I saw was not an alligator. It is possible that someone released a pet alligator. The question is, how long would one survive in the lake. What temperatures could an alligator tolerate?

Anyone care to shed light on this?
:confused:

by the way, I would estimate the length to be 6 to 7 feet

[HomeWood]

That was Winni, the lake monster. ;)

[Captain Zipper]

Could it have been an eel? They were talked about recently in another post.

CZ

[GWC...]

Okay, I'm not crazy and like to believe I'm not stupid. However, I've thought long and hard about what it was I saw in the water on Saturday near Dow island. While fishing with a partner we both commented on how much a stick floating in the water looked like an alligator. It was drifting motionless. It had a long-ish body portion just poking above the water and the perfect shape of the eyes and snout, just the way a gator floats in the water. We even joked about it being a gator. The stick was roughly 150 feet away from us. But after about 5 minutes the stick quickly went under, head first with a nice swirl in the water behind it.

So I am not convinced that what I saw was not an alligator. It is possible that someone released a pet alligator. The question is, how long would one survive in the lake. What temperatures could an alligator tolerate?

Anyone care to shed light on this?
:confused:

by the way, I would estimate the length to be 6 to 7 feet
Did it look like this?

http://bp0.blogger.com/_PMCFgiB7KdQ/Robr2cH3DkI/AAAAAAAABDc/2wJVyzd7Yzo/s400/DSC00014.JPG

P.S.- They love marshmellows...

http://k53.pbase.com/v3/58/12158/1/45987774.800x600_Master_H_Aligator_IMG_1226.jpg

[SAMIAM]

Put a bikini on the aligator and the marine patrol will show up.:D

[WeirsBeachBoater]

To be Winni, but it could be a baby polypigamortimus.

[jrc]

Maybe a big turtle?

[Rattlesnake Gal]

The question is, how long would one survive in the lake. What temperatures could an alligator tolerate?

Have you ever seen Lake Placid (http://www.foxmovies.com/lakeplacid/html/story/index.html)? Just over the border in Maine, those crocs acclimated quite nicely.

Back to being serious, you may be correct. Recently (http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2007/09/05/nh_fisherman_catches_alligator/) there was an alligator found in Nashua. (http://www.wlbz2.com/news/regional/article.aspx?storyid=70116) Why is this legal to sell such dangerous pets (http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070905/NEWS01/209050355/0/FRONTPAGE) as this?

[codeman671]

Standard issue Winnfabbs alligator boat used for surveillance for spotting GFBL's... Like the alligator boat in Octopussy! :laugh:

[Island Life]

Oh great! One more thing to think about when I'm swimming alone next summer. :eek:

[ApS]

"...But after about 5 minutes the stick quickly went under, head first with a nice swirl in the water behind it..."
In the winter, I live lakeside in Central Florida. (And if you're at a lake in Florida, that means you have alligators in your lake).

Gators are shy critters, and mostly just "hang out" on the surface. Very few are "cruising". (Although I saw three ducks followed by a "stick" once. The rearmost duck repeatedly paddled back to check out "the stick", which was a cruising gator!) :eek:

When gators are at the surface, you can't see the last foot or two of their tails. If you see it again, the rule for estimating length is to multiply the length of their eyes-to-nose-distance by ten to get their full length.

Even when disturbed, all the gators I've seen sink slowly from view—with their eyes the last to disappear from the surface. They leave no swirl.

Otters swimming on the surface make a pronounced dive, bending in the middle, as do beavers. My guess, since beavers use their broad tail in diving and swimming, is that the beaver would leave the bigger swirl.

Until recent years, there were two beaver lodges just east of Wolfeboro's airport, one being just 50 feet from a roadway. The nearer lodge had at least one beaver active this May—in plain view of rafting boaters—but haven't seen any lodge activity after then.

[wires1999]

Oh great! One more thing to think about when I'm swimming alone next summer. :eek: Don't worry, I'm sure it wasn't an alligator. They are cold blooded reptiles that don't create body heat so if it's not spotted sunning on land at some point then it surely won't survive the cold.

[Coolbreeze]

Unless it is a mutant gator which thrives in cool water and climates.
I run like a little girl when I see snakes, I think I would p**p in my pants if I saw a gator in the lake!

[KPW]

There are otters in Winni - I have seen them at Pier 19

[Mr. V]

Not an alligator: a crocodile.

There's a difference.

[wildwoodfam]

Would not worry about running into a gator next summer - this one (if it really is a released pet) would not survive the winter - freeze. Then again - if somebody was stupid enough to release this one - then who knows - maybe they will release the baby sister next spring!:eek:

[webmaster]

Here is a post from Skip (http://www.winnipesaukee.com/oldforum/archive1.cgi?noframes;read=62249) from 2003 with an applicable RSA. It is part of this interesting thread (http://www.winnipesaukee.com/oldforum/archive1.cgi?noframes;read=62215) about someone relocating and releasing baby turtles from NYC. :(

[Bubba]

I can confirm otters in the lake. I have spotted otter several different times in Wolfeboro.

[Rattlesnake Guy]

Unless it is a mutant gator which thrives in cool water and climates.
I run like a little girl when I see snakes, I think I would p**p in my pants if I saw a gator in the lake!

LOL.....
Make sure you do this out of the lake or it will start a new thread...:laugh:

[Coolbreeze]

LOL... Believe me, If I saw a crok or a gator on the lake, there would be more than just a thread started on this forum!!!!! People would see me running on the surface of the water. The only good place for reptiles, other than far from me, is Florida or the Zoo. Not my beautiful lake!

[HomeWood]

I caught a huge snapping turtle swimming on the surface in front of the house once. It was probably around 40 pounds. I pulled it in by the tail to show everybody and then released it. It went right back to swimming on the surface. I've never seen a snapper do that before this one. It sure was determined on getting to it's destination.

[Newbiesaukee]

My step-grandaughter was visiting us last summer and is leery of any "water-creature." I assured her that there were no human predators in the lake. When I finally convinced her to take a dip, she came screaming out of the water and indicated her sighting of a sea monster. After chiding her in a nice way:D I investigated and found a very sick 3 foot cusk at the surface. I must admit that until I realized what it was, it was a little scary looking. Who knew?? She now refuses to reenter the lake and I have lost all of my "wildlife" credibility.