Alligators/Crocs (Columbus, Savannah, Port Wentworth: house, neighborhood, live in)

[FierceSouthernBelle]

Are crocs and alligators a problem near the marshes or islands? Like, will I step outside my door and be surprised? Should I be concerned with my kids playing in the backyark?

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by FierceSouthernBelle

Are crocs and alligators a problem near the marshes or islands? Like, will I step outside my door and be surprised? Should I be concerned with my kids playing in the backyark?

Only if you live at The Landings, where some gators live in the fresh-water ponds around the golf course. An elderly woman was attacked and killed by a gator there couple of years ago.

Because they have an aversion to salt water, you're not likely to see gators in any of the marshes or tidal creeks though they do occasionally get lost and wash up on a beach. Very rare. We're not like South Florida, where gators are like raccoons and possums.

If you want to see them in their natural habitat, Savannah National Wildlife Refuge (across the bridge from Port Wentworth) is great!

[Padgett2]

Alligators are a problem sometimes around the fresh water lagoons on the golf courses and at the Landings. And sometimes, there are idiots in the area that make them "friendly" to humans by feeding them.

But normally there just aren't any. So the chance of finding one in your yard is very very slim. There's more danger to your kids from bad tempered pets and bats.

And then, there's the one that crawled through the storm sewers from the Savannah River to a sewer opening on Abercorn near the Oglethorpe Mall.....

[912]

Originally Posted by FierceSouthernBelle

Are crocs and alligators a problem near the marshes or islands? Like, will I step outside my door and be surprised? Should I be concerned with my kids playing in the backyark?

Really?

Also, no "crocs" here, mate. Only gators. They are more widespread than other posters are eluding to here. Around water is where you'll find them (duh). Not so much in coastal creeks & rivers....that's where the bull sharks live!

[bellhead]

In the Savannah River near the nature reserve there are a lot of alligators up to 12 feet....

[lbbryantjr]

I saw an alligator in the lake off Chief of Love Rd in Southwest Chatham County. This is the lake directly behind the Fords Point Apts on US 17/Ogeechee Rd just past the Bamboo farms. I was riding my bike (this was April of this year) in the neighborhood across from mine. I was riding down Chief of Love Rd and saw a sidewalk on the right side of the street and started walking my bike down the sidewalk. The sidewalk ended and it became a trail and a HUGE lake appeared. The trail got narrow and then there were wetlands on the left of me and the lake to right with nowhere to go. As I was riding my bike something told me to start looking around like someone was watching me. I walked for several minutes and all of a sudden I saw the spikes on the alligator's back and snout in the later swimming towards me. One I saw the snout I ran with my bike as fast as I could. I was on the bank of the lake about 5-10 ft. higher than it. The gator was approximately 10 ft. or less from me. He came out of nowhere. He probably saw me on the other side of the lake. I ran as far and long as I could until I ran out of breath. The thing is the circumference lake was so big I was afraid he going to swim to where I was at. So I went through this field behind the trees surrounding the lake. Then I had to worry about snakes. I took a while to get through the high grass of the field until I got to a street. Once I got to the street I must have looked real crazy because I darted out the field r3eal quick with my bike. It was some people at this house were looking at me like "what the hell is wrong with him" lol. I rode through the neighborhood and ended up on Canebrake Rd still out of breath. I can laugh about it now but it wasn’t funny then. That was one of the scariest times in my life. This area is not that far from the Ogeechee River & Love's Seafood Restaurant. This lake is just Southeast of Teal Lake (Teal Ct area) and West of Bamboo Farms. He probably came from the Ogeechee River then trough the wetlands to the lake


I wrote this to tell people that there are more alligators in the Savannah area than what people think. I know about the Ogeechee & Savannah Rivers. Maybe other rivers (Vernon, Back, Forest, and all the marsh/swampy areas

[Newsboy]

With the cold weather we've been having lately, I doubt gators are going to be a problem for anybody anytime soon. They're all going into hibernation mode.

[Columbuskidd92]

Species Profile: American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) | SREL Herpetology

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by Columbuskidd92

Species Profile: American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) | SREL Herpetology

I didn't know alligators were Mississippians! LOL!

[FierceSouthernBelle]

Good to know...Thnx!