That's neat! Thanks for posting that. On Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 8:21 PM, JNene <[email protected]> wrote:
> 'Feeding Frenzy' > Local man records gator feeding ritual at Stephen C. Foster State Park > Ray Cason was expecting an ordinary day fishing when he dipped his > boat into the black water at Stephen C. Foster State Park last > Saturday at sunrise. > But the next few minutes proved to be anything but ordinary. > What Cason, of Homerville, witnessed, and caught on video and film, is > a rare phenomenon that some call cooperative feeding, or cooperative > fishing. In this case, hundreds of alligators congregated in the boat > basin at Stephen C. Foster State Park, near Fargo, and the canal from > the boat basin to Billy's Lake, and engaged in what Cason called "a > feeding frenzy." Cason caught the rare sight early Saturday morning, > and again early Sunday morning. The ritual only lasted about 30-to-40 > minutes each morning, he said. > "It was unreal," said Cason, who filmed the gators with his digital > camera. "There were 10-foot gators with their entire bodies three feet > above the water. Gators rolling all over themselves. It was foggy that > first morning (Saturday, July 10), but I bet there were 300 gators I > saw in that boat basin and canal." > There were other witnesses as well, but it is believed Cason was the > only one who has the scene on video. Cason sent a copy of his video to > Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge officials in Folkston. > "I saw the video, but haven't been it (cooperative feeding) before > myself," said Refuge Biologist Sarah Aicher. "Others who have been > here longer said they saw it happen once around the (Suwannee River) > sill area, where there were a large congregation of mudfish, and the > alligators had a communal feeding of the mudfish. The alligators > somehow get a signal and congregate and feed. It's a mystery how they > do that." > Cason also posted Saturday's video on his Facebook page – not > anticipating the tremendous buzz it would create. > "I had two million hits on it in one day, and had 200 people I didn't > know with friend requests (so they could see the video)," said Cason. > "I had a guy from AP (Associated Press) offering me money for it. It > was too much. I finally decided to take it down. I had some colleges > call. I'll give them (the videos and photos he took) to a college or > something if they want them, but I don't want any money for it." > Cason agreed to allow The Clinch County News to post the videos on its > website (www.theclinchcountynews.com) in an effort to promote interest > in Fargo and Stephen C. Foster State Park. > There are stories of gators feeding communally in the swamp, but few > recorded on paper or film. Noted biologist Francis Harper recounts an > instance of cooperative feeding of alligators in the swamp at Buzzard > Roost Lake, as witnessed by Allen Chesser in 1890. In one of Harper's > publications, he quoted Chesser's description of what he witnessed (in > Chesser's dialect): "These alligators, I suppose, they must a drive > all the fish out er this big lake, an' down this road (the outlet). It > 'us in between daylight and sunrise. I heard the racket before I got > there. The alligators cared nothin' fer us. There must a been three > hundred uv 'em." > Chesser also tells about witnessing large gators jumping out of the > water, and biting each other. > Cason's account is very similar. > Arriving at sunrise, Cason put his boat in at the basin and heard > splashing, but couldn't see far due to the fog. Once in, he said there > were an estimated 150 alligators in the boat basin. He said a man from > Douglas was behind him, putting his boat in at the same time. > "It looked like they (the gators) were rounding the fish up and > cornering them in the boat basin, and also pushing them into the > bank," Cason said. "I saw one gator with another gator in his mouth. > It was a feeding frenzy. I've never seen anything like it." > Cason said he wasn't scared that the gators would flip his boat, and > went on fishing once he got outside the canal, where the gator ruckus > was happening. > "The water level was low, and I guess something just went off in their > heads that they were going to starve," said Cason. "Male gators don't > like each other, and some of those gators were 12- to 13-feet long, so > they were males. It would be interesting to find out what tripped it." > Despite the image of 300 gators converging in one area for a fish > feast, Aicher said visitors have little reason to fear coming to the > swamp. > "This wasn't a sign that the world is exploding or anything like > that," Aicher said Monday. "It's still safe to canoe through the > swamp, and fish in the swamp. It's just an isolated incident, and a > very interesting one." > http://www.theclinchcountynews.com/v2/content.aspx?ID=23750&MemberID=1340 > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- Helen Huntley (727) 823-3801 www.helenhuntley.com -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
