Massive gator spotted taking a stroll in Sienna, the latest to be spotted in the Fort Bend County community

[LetMyPeopleVote]

A month or so a massive gator was spotted at neighborhood close to my neighborhood. This has been a far more active season for gators than in past years.

Link to tweet

https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/gator-sienna-fort-bend-county/285-cdc924cd-f750-43fb-96d9-ff05f905b339

MISSOURI CITY, Texas — Gators have been out and about in Southeast Texas lately, and on Sunday morning, another big one was spotted in a community that's seen its fair share.

According to Megan Pederson, who shared photos of the big fella with KHOU 11, the gator spotted Sunday morning was walking along Camp Sienna Trail in Sienna. Megan said it's the biggest she's seen out in Sienna.

Trenae Hill shared photos and videos, too. She was in the car Sunday morning with her four-year-old son when they spotted the roaming reptile. In the video above, you can hear Trenae's son describing it.

Below are some of the photos shared of the gator Sunday morning.





What to do if you spot a gator
So what should you do if you encounter an alligator? Below are some pointers from Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Most alligators naturally avoid people and will usually retreat when approached.
If an alligator hisses, Texas Parks and Wildlife says it’s a warning that you are too close and should slowly back away.
Wildlife officials say alligators basking near ponds or streams are often just regulating their body temperature and are not necessarily hunting.
Any alligator that approaches people, comes out of the water toward humans or lingers near homes could be considered a nuisance animal.
Pet owners are urged to keep animals leashed and away from the water because alligators may see them as an easy food source.
Officials say people should never attempt to move an alligator seen in a roadway and should instead contact local authorities.
Feeding alligators is illegal in Texas and can cause them to lose their natural fear of humans.

Earlier this month, we posted about a gator in Sienna that stopped by an elementary school.

....And then there's Cinco Ranch, where a gator was wandering the streets.

Gator season will hopefully end after May

[efhmc]

1. Can they be identified as different individuals?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. What do you mean?

After being captured and tagged, the gators are taken to safe areas to be released. Sienna is a good distance from Cinco Ranch and so these are not the same gators. There is a state park about 20+ miles from my house that is full of gators.

[efhmc]

7. For instance, if I saw this one last week, can I or will I be able to id it as the same specimen?

[cab67]

13. Often, yes.

Much depends on how much time has elapsed between sightings. They shed and replace teeth throughout their lives, so two different sightings of a gator of a particular size, missing a specific tooth in the maxilla (lower teeth are harder to assess unless the jaws are open), are likely to be of the same gator.

There may be other identifying features, e.g. healed wounds on the snout, missing scales (esp. the larger ones along the top of the tail).

It would also be highly unlikely to see more than one large gator far from water.

[efhmc]

16. I really prefer not to get close enough to check out their teeth. Thanks anyway.

[cab67]

17. binoculars are adequate for larger gators.

I've never gone up to a live one with one of those little mirrors dentists use. I might really like these animals, but I also know what their jaws can do.

I've got friends who've done crocodylian surveys in the US, Australia, Cuba, Kenya, and other parts of the world. Once you know what to look for, ID'ing an individual is straightforward.

Mind you, this is mostly for larger crocs and gators. Smaller ones are harder to ID to individual.

[The Blue Flower]

2. Gators can outrun a person easily

They are so dangerous.

[efhmc]

8. Well that is scary.

[cab67]

10. Not entirely true.

On land, a gator is only a threat if you come very close (i.e.about the length of the animal or less). They can lunge, but they really can't run.

They're ambush predators; if they know you can see them, they absolutely won't pursue you. They'll only attack if they think you're a threat. As long as you keep some space between you and an alligator on land, you're completely safe.

Also bear in mind that alligators prefer smaller prey than crocodiles. And that assumes they're looking for prey on land, which is almost never the case; they strongly prefer to ambush prey from the water.

Crocodiles can actually gallop. They''re the only reptiles that can do this. But alligators have never been seen galloping, and when crocodiles do it, it's always to escape a threat - not to catch prey. And they can't do it very far.

[efhmc]

12. Very interesting. Thank you.

[cab67]

14. for once...

..my actual field of work was relevant on DU!

I'm a vertebrate paleontologist/herpetologist who studies the evolution and diversity of gators, crocs, and relatives for a living.

I went to grad school in Austin, and I'm a birder, so I saw gators aplenty in wetlands near Houston. Some of them were of substantial size. But I also once watched a pair of otters literally playing and chasing each other around and even upon a big gator. The gator didn't seem fazed.

[efhmc]

15. I am in central (right wing) Texas but was in Houston for many years. I miss it so very much. I miss the diversity, the

parks, the food, the arts and the ability to grow everything, especially lovely flowers.

[sop]

3. It's gator breeding season, they're just out looking for a good time.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. Back when my kids were in scouting, we camped at a park full of gators

My ex-wife had a girl scout training session at this park during gator mating seasons. She told us that they got no sleep even though the gators were a good distance away.

BTW, that park prohibited people bringing dogs into the park due to the gators.

[efhmc]

9. Well, aren't we all but my idea of doing that is reading about other folk's doing the looking.

[hlthe2b]

6. Is he big ENOUGH? Maybe needs to chow down on a Greg Abbott or Ken Paxton---don't ya think?

I worked with the Miccosukee Tribe (live in the middle of the Florida Everglades along Alligator Alley and near the now soon-to-be closed (fortunately) ICE facility) on a health study several years ago. The youngsters were fearless with the alligators and alligator wrestling is a thing a few adults engage in for tourists. But not so for snakes. Not that I blame them but the tribal police said they never get calls about alligators, but snakes? Constantly!

[Norrrm]

11. What to do?