The orange gator seen in SC has me wondering. Are the gators adapting?

[raccoon]

(See http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028628123)

As most of yall probably know from movies if not from RL, there is a lot of red clay in SC and GA, and undoubtedly in neighboring states. Gators have never lived in the upstate of SC because it is a higher elevation than the coastal area and somewhat cooler.

However, in the last few decades, the climate has been getting warmer. Could orange gators be a mutation? An adaptation? Yeah, I know the gator was in the coastal area….but there may be others.

[orangecrush]

1. They are indeed adapting

To living in Trumpland!

[TrekLuver]

10. It's Trumpistan and it's acid rain every day that always ends in a shit storm.

[2naSalit]

2. Or it's from heavy meatls in the water...

SC is rife with pollution in its fresh water... think DuKe Energy.

[ginny skinny]

3. Possible explanation.

One of the articles I read earlier today suggested that the gator had wintered in a rusty steel culvert and absorbed the rust stains.

[raccoon]

6. That explanation and the one about the gator's den sound reasonable.

Good. I like gators, but I like them to keep their distance.

[GoCubsGo]

4. There are red clay deposits in the coastal areas, as well.

This gator was likely burrowing down into it to escape the cold spells, and now it's covered in red clay. It's not a mutation.

[Solly Mack]

5. Alligators are found as far as North Carolina, near the Virginia border to

west Texas, LA., MS., AL., GA., and Florida. Oh, and South Carolina.

Warming climates could cause them to move north (a little). Their breeding depends on warmth to hatch the eggs. Too cool and the eggs won't hatch. At certain temps you get only females, which can make for a lack of alligators if older males die out.

At the just right temps, you get both males and females.

But a constant increase in temps could (potentially) expand their territory.

I live in Louisiana and have spent time in the wild with alligators. So I read about them.

[dawg]

7. It was a Clemson gator.

They're still celebrating.

[mnhtnbb]

8. Thread win!

Aren't they supposed to be Clemson Tigers?!?

[TrekLuver]

9. NO...it's the same thing as Trashpot...A Freak of Nature.

[JHB]

11. He's just positioning himself for the next WH shake-up...

Kremlin Don will want an advisor with a toothy grin that Rosie O'Donnell can't imitate.