[at-l] Gator Get Up And Go (OT)

[RoksnRoots at aol.com (RoksnRoots@aol.com)]

            If my calculations aren't incorrect, an object moving a 
theoretical 35mph will cover 35 miles in 1 hour. Since 1 mile is 5280 feet, that means 
it will theoretically move 184,000 feet in 1 hour. I believe there are 3600 
seconds in an hour, so therefore the distance a gator will cover in one second 
at 35mph is 1/3600th of 184,800. If I'm not mistaken that is just over 50 feet 
per second...

           Trust me, I've seen a few gators down here and they can move 
faster in short distances than you can get out of way from. Part of the gator's 
trick is moving lethargically for 99.999% of the time. They are cold blooded and 
don't need to eat as often as mammals. They do this crazy jacking up on their 
legs that you wouldn't expect them to be capable of and bolt. They can also 
snap like a whip for the length of their body faster than you can flinch to get 
out of the way. The reason they don't chase people down more often is because, 
like bears, they prefer their natural prey. Their cold bloodedness makes 
efforts more expensive fuel-wise. Therefore they instinctively avoid prey they 
can't take easily. This is why they are one of the only surviving dinosaurs 
left...

 

          When the alligator slipped back into the ditch he left about a foot 
of his tail sticking out on the grass. When I saw this my first temptation 
was to grab it, but then I thought about reading a "Darwin" report on AT-L and 
having to know it was me who was the subject...     ;)


          In the end it's about an even choice between alligator and bear. 
There's too many variables in the circumstances between the two. In water you 
don't stand a chance against the alligator. In a predation situation you are 
virtually defenseless against a determined bear. With the bear there's a better 
chance he'll break off the attack once started. Not with the alligator. He'll 
grab you and rip off a limb or drown you. But, he'll also think harder about 
attacking and the exposure zone is less...