Sweetwater Creek Alligator Farm

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Location:Sweetwater Creek Alligator Farm is located on Hwy 231, Fountain, 30 miles North of Panama City, Florida.

Hours:

SPRING: 10AM TO 5PM

SUMMER: 9AM TO 6PM

ENTRY FEES

Adults: $ 6.75

Children: $ 3.50

Family: $ 16.00

(2 adults, 2children under 16)

Group discount.

The Farm:

63 Alligators and 20 Emus live at Sweetwater Creek Alligator Farm on 20 acres of land. It is a natural habitat for the alligators and for all the native animals that live in this forest amid springs, swamps and creeks. Alligators are usually found in freshwater, they can only tolerate salt water for brief periods because they do not have salt glands.

Alligators are remnants of a prehistoric era. When dinosaurs became extinct, these modern day contemporaries of dinosaurs continued to multiply and survive to the present day. When the Spanish arrived here and saw these large reptiles, they named them "el lagarto", the lizard.

A guided tour will take you to this environment where you will meet George our biggest male alligator, 12 ft. long and also the beautifull baby hatchlings.

The American Alligator is a native of this region. It is also found from the Southern Virginia- North Carolina border to the Rio Grande in Texas.The American Alligator is the largest reptile in North America.

Males grow larger than females. Males grow to 18ft. or more in length.The Alligator, like all reptiles, is a cold blooded vertebrate.

Courtship and breeding season is during April to May. Sexual maturity is linked to their size. Both male and female reach it when they are about six feet long.(10 to 12 years old)

After mating, females build nests of whatever vegetation they find. Towards the end of June and begining of July the female lays the eggs. Usually a nest has 35 to 50 eggs. The incubation period is 65 days. Alligators are most vulnerable when they are still in the egg or very young. Birds, racoons, large fish and even some dominant males are the biggest predators. Once they reach four feet long, alligators are safe from the predators except humans and occasionally other alligators.

Alligators are carnivores and they eat whatever they find, from fish, turtles, snakes, waterbirds to small mammals. They will eat any time but only if the water temperature is above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In cold weather they go through a period of dormancy.

Alligators are not endangered but they are legally protected. They are classified as a threatened species because of their similarity in appearance to the American Crocodile, an endangered species.

Emus:

The emu lives in the deserts and woodlands of Australia. It has loose, downy feathers that drop in the back to form a mop like "tail". Its bluish skin becomes darker or lighter in color, depending on their mood.

Emus are the second largest birds that don't fly, the largest being the ostriches. This group of flightless birds is called ratites. Scientist believe that the ancestors of ratites took the place of dinosaurs when they died out. The emus for instance resemble the dinosaurs. Contrary to other ratites the Emus are friendly. They are so curious that they will even follow people.

The male emu sits on eggs laid by the females. Last year one of our males sat on five eggs. We had two hatchlings. Occasionaly a female would come and sit next to him, moral support maybe. The male never abandoned the eggs and at the end of the incubation period he was very skinny.

This tale always lifts the spirits of the women folk we take on tours. We can not say how the men react.

Guide's notes:

Welcoming visitors to the Alligator Farm means an introduction of facts about the alligator's ancestry, behavior, way of life, environment and folk tales.

Coming to see the alligators brings all kinds of expectations from people. So many times I'm asked what happened to my right hand. I have a scar from a car accident years ago and my answer disappoints their expectations of danger. I'd delight them if my scar was related to an Alligator attack, a near miss for me to lose that hand. The encounter with these prehistoric animals brings excitement, strange behaviour and sense of danger.

We always talk about the snakes at the Farm to spice the tour of curious city tourists, but this time was no joke. I took a couple from Birmingham on a tour, stopping first down by the small alligator's inclosure. After the usual delivery of informations about their food intake, the mud baths, size, weight we were ready to head to the next pan to see the big alligators. Going up the steps I stopped to the sound of a rattling as I nearly stepped on a huge rattle snake who quickly positioned itself to attack. We backed off so quickly, nearly jumped inside the alligator's inclosure. The snake took its time to uncoil then moved on leaving us to recover and wonder about the close encounter.

Encounters with nature's creatures is part of our daily routine as this forest is a complete eco system.

Emu's are an added dimension-- do they coexist with the alligators? Come and find out.

References:University of Florida, Gainsville.