Secrets of the
Bayou
If you were going to the Herpitarium until 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM on any given day, you
would find one of the greatest phenomenon's in the world: The White Alligator. It's true.
Louis LeBlanc was found in a Louisiana Bayou and is on loan to the St. Louis Zoo until
November 30, when he gets shipped back to the Audobon Zoo in Louisiana. The story
behind finding Louis and his brothers is weird: (Re-printed from the hand-out in the
middle of the map)
One August day in 1987 in a bayou near Houma, Louisiana, southwest of New
Orleans, 3 Cajun fishermen discovered a nest of 18 white alligators and 7 normal-colored
sibs. All were males about one of two weeks old. In September of that year, 6
individuals were taken to the Audobom Zoo in New Orleans. The rest are being raised
by the Louisiana Land and Exploration Company which owns the property where the nest
was found. These may be the only white alligators ever discovered. (Copyright ©
St. Louis Zoo.)
Louis isn't albino, though. He's what's called leucistic (LOO-sis-tic) which
means no pigment in the skin, but there is pigment in their eyes, as they are a dark blue or
black. Albinos lack the eye coloring. That's the only difference.
If Louis were out in the Bayou with his brothers, he wouldn't live long at all.
They aren't protected by the normal black and yellow striping that helps a baby blend into
the background. Another thing is that alligators hunt by floating near the top of the water
and look like logs until some unsuspecting prey comes along and it'll chomp down. The
white guy would have trouble looking inconspicuous. One other thing is that all gators
bathe in the sun to heat themselves up, since they ARE cold-blooded. White alligators
would sunburn easily. Actually, there is a picture of a sun-burnt leucistic by the exhibit.
All of these things contribute to natural selection, which means "only the fit survive," so
the white alligators would NOT be able to pass their genes on very easily in the wild,
which is why he and his brothers have been taken out.
The exhibit itself is a great one. It is a LONG line usually, and to get in, you go
through the herpitarium to a line that has formed. A big pit is in the middle full of crocs.
Then, as you move throughout the line, to the left AND right of you are some really cool
turtles, tortoises, snakes (like the 2 HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE pythons), neat
lizards (like the gecko), more snakes, and some other cool stuff. When you finally get to
the end of the line, there's actually steps downstairs. A staff member there gives you an
info guide and you head down the steps. At the end of the steps and a turn, there is a
mock-up of an alligator nest. Next to that is a tank with an alligator snapping
turtle in it. Now THAT is neat! Moving right along, you find an alligator and a
crocodile. Then, there is a tank that holds nothing but mist and a Louisiana Bayou feel,
so that you get the feeling of being there. Then, finally after about half an hour or so, you
FINALLY get to meet Louis LeBlanc himself in all his glory. It's a REAL breath-taking
experience.
The End of the Trip
After that, it started to rain so we headed for the food. The fries and the onion rings
are excellent. After we finished dining, we went back home after a PERFECT day!
Copyright © Meerkat Markowitz ([email protected]).
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