The largest freshwater reptile on Hilton Head Island is the American alligator. Alligators are 83 million-year-old descendants of cold-blooded reptiles and are generally black with creamy white underbellies. They have rows of rough scales (scutes) along their backs and large broad snouts. Juvenile alligators have several yellow and white bands along their bodies and range in size from 9 inches to 13 feet long.
Alligators are considered “keystone species,” a species that helps fashion its environment and influence the types of species that live there. This is especially true on barrier islands like Hilton Head Island, where they perform necessary services.
Alligators create trails, holes, and nests that provide habitat for birds, reptiles, and other species. During dry periods, alligator holes are often the only water source for wildlife in an area. Breeding birds will choose to nest over areas where alligators live as they keep other predators away from the nests and feed on the chicks that fall out of the nests.
Primarily freshwater animals, the coastal marshlands provide a quality habitat for alligators. They can be found in any freshwater habitat, including lakes, rivers, ponds, swampy areas, and brackish and saltwater areas. Alligators are opportunistic feeders and can’t necessarily distinguish their normal prey from a house pet or a splashing person from a fish. Do not swim in our lakes and keep dogs, on or off leash, away from lakes and ponds.
Typically, alligators attack from the water. If you see an alligator lying on the bank, it is most likely basking (warming their bodies in the sun). The presence of alligators alone does not qualify it to be a nuisance, even if it is located in an unexpected place. If left alone, most alligators will move on.
Feeding alligators is illegal. Alligators overcome their natural shyness and become accustomed to or attracted to humans when fed. Don’t feed other wildlife or throw fish scraps and trash in bodies of water alligators may live in. Although you are not intentionally feeding alligators, the result can be the same.
