#crocodilian care

[luvsavos]

as an apology for my absence, have a doodle concept sketch page of my rain world oc, a cyan lizard named kaboom<3

[bisexualbaker]

[Last two images: A humongous crocodilian safely and securely strapped down to a gurney and being given an MRI. (All other images have ID in alt text.)]

Aug ABSOLUTELY deserves the praise, @ryukikit. St. Augustine Alligator Farm is one of my favorite animal facilities, hands down. It's a pretty zoo, doable in an afternoon if you kinda like crocodilians, or an all day affair if you REALLY like crocodilians. Here are my favorite things about it and why I think it's worth supporting.

1. They keep animals in interesting social groups.

Crocodilians are heavily involved parents, but most places that breed them don't have the enclosure space to let the babies stay with the parents. St. Augustine does. One of my favorite groups was their crèche of slender-snouted crocodiles. They had the parents and then a yearling cohort and a new hatchling cohort. This aligns with how these guys live in the wild- the babies stick around longer! They have the space for it, and they are very in tune with the social needs of their animals.

Very, very few zoos can keep their baby crocs with the adults and still perform maintenance and animal health checks safely. This doesn't mean these facilities are bad- it just means that they have different management practices. And frankly, a lot of these species aren't frequently bred elsewhere. Your average zoo doesn't need a setup where you can have a multiyear crèche for slender-snouted crocodiles. Some species have better success when the young are pulled early, and some zoos are better set up to raise out any offspring separately or behind the scenes. Every facility's practices are different, and this just happens to work well at St. Augustine and be really enjoyable to see as a zoo patron.

Crocodilians are exceptional parents and very protective. It's a sign of incredible animal management practices and animals that feel very comfortable with staff that St. Augustine can do this with nearly every species they breed.

2. They understand the social needs of their animals.

Some crocodilians are social. Some are solitary. Some can live happily with a member of the opposite sex but get territorial around members of the same sex. St. Augustine pays incredible attention to their social groupings to ensure that they aren't just meeting the animals' physical health needs but their social needs as well. They do continuous scientific research about social structures in crocodilians, taking blood samples to test stress hormones and observing stress behaviors to see how group dynamics change.

For example, St. Augustine is home to one of the world's largest known living saltwater crocodiles, Maximo. And his comparatively tiny mate, Sydney. During the educational presentations with these two, they point out that even their monster of a croc needs his social group- he won't eat if she's not around and he is calmer during medical checks if he can see her. These animal share a deep and special pair bond, and they make sure to talk about how the social aspect of these animals' lives is integral to their care. It's a unique aspect of the way they talk about these animals, because he IS a spectacle and he IS a sensation, but they don't talk about him like he's a mindless killing machine- they talk about him like he's a big, complex predator with social needs like any other animal. Aug is the only facility I've been to where the emotional and social needs of crocodilians is part of the education they provide guests- and speaking of education...

3. Their demos and presentations are extremely good.

The presentations at St. Augustine are some of the best I've ever seen, and I've seen literally hundreds of animal talks on everything from aardvarks to zebras. But as you... can probably tell from my blog content, I've spent a lot of time learning about and working with reptiles. I really enjoyed all of their presentations because they are very scientific about things and avoid sensationalism. They really want you to be fascinated by these creatures and love them- but more than anything else, they want you to respect them.

Also, they do a really good job handling their ambassadors. I really enjoyed something as simple as watching an educator tell us about snakes. Throughout the whole presentation she made sure that most of the snake's body was looped in her hand. The snake was always supported and was very calm. She gave the snake plenty of head room so that it didn't feel constricted- it was just good handling all around.

But also, the presentations made it clear how much the park cares about the animals' well-being. When they do the feeding and training presentations, they make it very clear that the animals' participation is entirely voluntary. They do things differently for their 9-foot saltie and their 16-foot saltie, because the 16-footer is so large and heavy he actually struggles walking on land sometimes. They adapt their programs and his care to ensure that he's completely comfortable- and he didn't actually participate in the whole feeding when I was watching! At no point did they try to push him into anything uncomfortable; they offered, he didn't engage, and they moved on. It was a clear expression of his boundaries, and I really appreciated how much his caretakers respected that.

4. Ethical Interactions

I've been to... a lot of tourist locations in Florida that have animals you can hold. Almost always against my will! Many of them are pretty terrible, and you don't actually learn much, if anything. But I really found that to not be the case at St. Augustine. Every single animal presentation and interaction opportunity was accompanied by education about the animal's biology, habits, and- crucially- their conservation status.

When I held a baby alligator at St. Augustine, the proctors- there were two, one to ensure I was holding the gator correctly and the other to educate- were very informative about the role alligators play in their ecosystem and their conservation history. The animals were all properly banded, and one of the two proctors was there to ensure that none of the baby alligators were uncomfortable. As soon as they started getting squirmy or tense, they were removed, unbanded, and taken to an off-exhibit area to relax. And when the babies age out of petting size, they just go in the lagoon to live with others of their species. I saw one upset alligator the entire time I was there, and he was clearly upset that his escape attempt was foiled by a keeper during my nursery tour.

Even though he's restrained in this shot, you can see that his full body and tail are supported, and the grip, while firm, is gentle. He's distressed, but after I took this picture, she put him in his enclosure and he calmed down immediately.

Sometimes when you have petting attractions with baby animals, those animals... don't have a happy ending. (See: cub petting.) But St. Augustine's program is fine- the gators are all aged out of wanting to have mom around, there's no declawing/defanging, and they're handled with care. And it's worth it, because people love what they understand. St. Augustine was integral in raising public awareness about alligators back in the 60s when they were endangered, and now they're thriving- largely in part to programs like St. Augustine getting people to care.

And speaking of getting people to care, let's talk about their research.

5. Shared Research Results

St. Augustine is also home to more species of crocodilian than anywhere else in North America- all of them, usually. (They didn't have a Tomistoma when I visited- that may have changed.)

Because of this species diversity, it's an incredible research resource. Having every species means that you can do a lot of work comparing their behaviors, their growth patterns, and more. They've been a major research site for crocodilian biology since the 1970s. Today, they're one of the key sites for studying crocodilian play and social behaviors. They actually maintain a blog where they post copies of papers that were written using their animals, meaning that you can actually see the results of the research your admission helps fund. You can see that right here: https://www.alligatorfarm.com/conservation-research/research-blog/

All of this adds up to a zoo that provides a unique experience, tons of actual education, and transparency about what its research and conservation steps actually are. St. Augustine's come a long way since its opening in 1893, and they really do want you to leave with a new respect for the animals they care for. Ultimately, if you're a fan of reptiles, you can feel good about visiting the St. Augustine Alligator Farm- their care and keeping are top of the line, they do a ton of innovative conservation research and support for conservation organizations, and you can see this animal there:

(Gharial from the front. Nothing is wrong with her that's just what they look like from the front.)

[howdoesone]

How does one persuade a Gharial to try a vegetarian diet with that snout?

  Introduction to the Gharial The gharial, also known as Gavialis gangeticus, is one of the most distinctive and ancient crocodilian species, known for its long, narrow snout filled with sharp, interlocking teeth. Native to the rivers of the Indian subcontinent, this unique reptile has evolved to be an efficient piscivore, primarily preying on fish. The idea of convincing a gharial to switch to…

[cod-dump]

Price strikes me as the kinda guy to vocally oppose getting a pet but then after a few weeks you find him cuddling said pet.

Price is very, very confused about the whole opossum and alligator shenanigans the Shadows have going on, but after about a month of him and Graves being together Graves catches him throwing marshmallows into the gator's paddock.

Graves got a photo of it, Price will never live it down.

"Your ancestors ate dinosaurs. Do you know that?"

No reply. Of course if there was one then he should be concerned about himself mentally.

Bobby, an thirty two year old gator. He was a senior in the wild, Price had to respect the old man. It wasn't every day you got to see an apex predator that was around three meters in length. Especially one so oddly docile. He was sunbathing at the moment, hadn't bothered to move when Price approached the fence.

From what Graves told him, the Shadows always are in uniform when they go tend to Bobby. Alligators know the faces of their handlers and definitely remember the color of their shirts, so Price made the effort to dress in black in an attempt to get the old reptile to be nice.

Bobby couldn't care less he was there.

"Phil said you liked marshmallows."

He didn't really believe it, which was why he was here. A small baggie of the sweet treats in his pocket, hidden in fear Graves would catch him. He couldn't let him know he had a fascination with Shadow Company's resident crocodilian.

Bobby finally showed interest when Price pulled out the baggie.

"I guess you have a sweet tooth," Price snickered.

He threw at least four marshmallows into Bobby's waters, watching in wonder as the alligator took his time collecting each one. Then he heard a click, right as he was about to throw another one in. In horror, he turned to see Graves standing there, grinning.

"Ya know, he reminds me of you. 'Cept he doesn't talk as much shit."

Price immediately pelted the marshmallow in hand at Graves, throwing the bag next when Graves started laughing.

[kiame-sama]

Part 2 of Cuteness Lore!

Because Human Babies were very cute, what if Fae became prone to sometimes steal Human Babies from their parents when they weren’t looking? (Or in more common cases, their parents were killed/separated from their baby)

Some other species would do this too, but it was the Fae who were the most likely to do this (They couldn’t resist the cuteness)

But they kept and raised the Human Babies even as they got older because of how quickly attached the Fae Parents became over such a weak and defenseless species that they began to freak out when they started to get older and panic when they realized how short Human lives are

These Fae felt both the greatest joy and pain when their Human Children grew up and passed away in within a century

Lilia ‘jokes’ that if Reader has babies he’s going to snatch them up (This joke did not receive positively as Malleus just looked pissed over the idea of someone thinking they’re worthy to marry one of his hoard, especially HIS Human!)

Fae are- in this AU- a much longer-lived version of other non-fae species. So in the instance of Sebek, he is half Fae-Raiju (Which often have a more dog-like appearance) and half non-fae Raiju (which are often more lizard/crocodilian in appearance). There is only one species that does not have a non-Fae counterpart and that is Dragons. Alternatively, there is only one species that does not have a Fae counterpart; Humans.

Concerning the history of Humans and these Fae types, Humans would often give their lives defending their young from the many dangers that exist in Twisted Wonderland, leaving behind Human young with no parents to claim/raise them. Fae enjoyed the curious nature of Humans and were typically the first to take in an abandoned/orphaned Human due to this genuine affection for the soft little species. In more war-torn areas or places where Humans were commonly hunted, Fae would go on excursions with the sole purpose of finding Human young they could then keep and raise. Finding an unattended Human, especially Human infants, was akin to winning the parent lottery for the many Fae that adored these strange little creatures.

It broke their hearts to see how quickly Humans lived and died when put in comparison to the long lives of the Fae that raised them. Some Fae parents would suffer serious heart-break when their little Human children died and would go into a state of mourning for years. Many Human families had a Fae patriarch/matriarch because the Fae was keen to raise their Humans, their Human's infants, and their infants, and so on. Many older Fae had raised at least one Human in their lifetime, so when it was decreed that Humans were extinct, several Fae species became enraged or even violent towards any who had participated in the downfall of Humans.

Malleus is not pleased that Lilia would even suggest HIS Human be bred by anyone, let alone someone who was not him a member of his hoard. Honestly, the few Malleus would even allow to entertain the idea of breeding his Human is himself and his hoard. Everyone else be damned. Lilia knows this and he is just amused that Malleus is even considering anyone of his hoard or himself having young with this Human because he knows he is going to be the baby-sitter regardless of who the parent is (He honestly hopes he gets to be the actual parent of at least one of the Human's children and wonders if everyone in the Hoard would be willing to have a child with the Human). Lilia genuinely wants lots of infants to care for- even if they are only half-human- because he misses the super cute Humans and their infants.

[blackswallowtailbutterfly]

Go on! Go to Mama! :D

[musickgeek]

Shadows [Alastor x Reader]

Enemies to lovers? Warnings: Allusions to death and murder

You and Alastor can't stand each other, but your shadows beg to differ (1.1K)

~~~~~

In life, I was a mastermind of manipulation. A con woman who could sweet talk anyone into anything. I had money, I had influence, I had control. People came to me when they wanted something, but it always came with a price. For some, their lives. Some people just have no respect for the hand that feeds them. They called me the Shadower because they could always feel me watching. I had eyes and ears everywhere. It was only a matter of time before someone else got the upper hand, and shot me right between the eyes. The circumstances of my death make me so angry, I choose not to think of it much.

When I arrived in Hell, my surprise was brief. No doubt that I belonged here, but I didn't expect it all to be real. I didn't expect to have such dramatic changes in my appearance. My teeth became sharp, my eyes crocodilian, my nails became claws. I looked scary, and I liked it. Was I supposed to give my old ways up? Ha! As if. I built my empire from the ground up before, I could easily do it it again with all my knowledge. And now, I had real magic power, and I could really be a shadow. I was accompanied by a sentient shadow, a helpful friend in my business. I had a quick rise to power, becoming one amongst the Overlords.

They didn't seem to know what to make of me, and I was addicted to their intrigue and fear. Who could be next? They didn't dare cross me and find out. I didn't care much for the others besides a general sense of respect for each other's strength. But there was one, Alastor, who I could not stand. His smug smile, his stupid static voice, his ego. He always had to be the center of attention, and just couldn't stand that he was no longer the talk of the town.

"You don't even have your own gimmick."

"Just mad I do it better, Smiles?"

"Ha! Are cheap words the best you've got?"

"Ha ha, at least my words are audible. And I'm not the one with a tacky bow tie."

"Ha ha ha! I hate you."

Despite our animosity, there was one thing we could agree on. It's infuriating how much our shadow creatures love each other. The first time we'd met, our shadows bounded for each other as if they were old friends. His eyes widened in shock, but his smile never faltered. I hardly quirked my eye brows at the scene. It was like two dogs playing at the park. The red demon tilted his head at an awkward angle as he inspected me. "My, my! What a playful friend you have. You must be the new arrival everyone is just buzzing about. I am Alastor, the Radio Demon. I'm sure you've heard of me." He introduced, offering his hand. "Not in the slightest." I said, shaking it. His eye twitched, but his smile widened.

Ever since then, at every meeting, we had to pretend our shadows didn't fly together like magnets. It almost would be amusing if it weren't attached to that piece of shit. I simply don't understand it. Is it comfort in knowing there is another like them? Or is it all just a game to piss us off further? It's hard to tell. Sometimes it seems like they don't notice anyone else in the room, but sometimes they seem like they're sat together, gossiping about us like old ladies. Every time we left each other's presence, they seemed to reach for each other, not wanting to be torn apart. I have no idea if Alastor has noticed it. That would require him to have half a brain.

One night I decided to go to a speakeasy I frequent. I sat at the bar alone, but I could feel the fearful eyes on me. I smile behind my drink. I thought tonight was going to be a good night, but I was wrong. I didn't even know Radio Boy was around until I felt my shadow slipping away. They were dancing freely to the upbeat swing music, having the time of their lives. I scowl, and flag the bar tender for another drink. Maybe if I turn around, I can pretend it's not happening. Alas, the radio static fills the room, overlaying the music. I feel a presence behind me, but I already know who it is. "Alastor." I say, still facing away. "Why (Y/n), I never expected you to have enough class to visit to such an establishment."

"You came all the way over just to say that? You must be more obsessed with me then I thought." I say calmly, refusing to give him the satisfaction of me turning towards him. I can feel the comment burning up inside him. I smirk. "I could say the same. It's almost as if you were following me. You must admit, this does seem more my style." Finally I turn around with a shrug. "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."

His eyes narrow. "An interesting turn of phrase." Our shadows join us, seemingly swirling around people us excitedly. My shadow forces me out of my seat. My glass falls to the floor, shattering, and my body collides with the deer. "Watch it!" I growl at the two incorporeal beings. Alastor seems just as angry, his static getting louder and his limbs growing. I hiss with hostility at the act, letting my claws out. In the blink of an eye he returns to normal. "Coward?" I ask. "No. I simply came here for a relaxing night, not a fight. I can't be ruining my favorite place after all." I notice the bar has mostly cleared out save the employees and musicians. When it looks like two Overlords are about to have a turf war, you don't want to be around if you're the little guy.

The shadows begin dancing along the walls as the music returns. "Hm. Perhaps we should follow their lead." Alastor suggests, holding a hand out in a gentlemanly fashion. "What's your play?" I ask skeptically. "I'm simply suggesting to have a little fun amongst our banter. After all, it's been awhile since I've had a worthy dance partner." I smile coyly at his words, and take his hand. "Alright, but I think this proves who's obsessed with who."

"Keep dreaming, my dear." He says, twirling me to the beat. "Are you sure you can keep up with me?" I ask, matching his rhythmic kicks and skips. "Don't forget who grew up doing this. You don't know everything." For once, our words aren't laced with so much hostility. I guess tonight will be a good night after all.

[uncharismatic-fauna]

what are some animals that are such great parents that they're really aggressive towards people/other animals?

There's loads of animals that are like that! The ones we tend to think of most often are mammals, especially ones like big cats, canines, elephants, buffalo, rhinos etc.

Outside of the class Mammalia, crocodilians are known to take very good care of their young-- both males and females will guard their nest and hatchlings ferociously. Other reptiles that guard their young include pit vipers, pythons, and king cobras-- though I wouldn't say these snakes are more aggressive, just more likely to stand their ground against an approaching threat.

In addition, the males in many frog and fish species are known to aggressively guard their territory after a female has laid her eggs, though their aggression is a product of trying to prevent other males of the same species from sneaking in and mating with the female. This often leads to a phenomenon where some males disguise themselves as females to sneak past the dominant male; cuttlefish are an excellent example of this!

Many birds are also territorial regarding their nests, and the more social ones will flock together and dive-bomb potential predators; Australian magpies are a particularly well-known example, but masked lapwings are even worse because their wings have claws and unlike magpies they're not afraid to draw blood.

Lastly, among the arthropods, there are several species of spider that guard their egg sacs until they hatch. Earwigs will also guard their eggs, and use their pincers (aka cerci) to defend against predators. Female scorpions will carry their young on their back until the babies develop functioning venom glands.

In short, aggressive parental care isn't a phenomenon just restricted to mammals-- though you are more likely to notice an angry Asian forest buffalo mom charging at you than you are an earwig flexing her pincers as a warning to stay away.

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

I get if this isn't your expertise, but do you have any advice about how to approach if someone tells you they are going to get a reptile and then describes the deeply substandard enclosure/care they plan for it? At my new job my coworker said they plan to get a dwarf caiman and keep it in a 20 gallon tank as a baby, 100 gallon as an adult. Any advice on how to (somewhat politely) tell them this is a way bigger commitment than they think it is?

This is always a very difficult conversation to have.

You might find some success with asking them how big they think dwarf caimans get. They do not "stay the size of the enclosure they're kept in" (a shockingly common myth!) and average around 5 feet long - that animal will not fit in a 100 gallon tank.

I really wish I had better advice for you here, but it's tough to think of semi-polite ways to say "even a small crocodilian is a large reptile that is very capable of sending you to the emergency room and wrecking the room you keep it in, and that's if substandard care doesn't kill it within a couple years."

I would start by asking why they want a pet caiman. They're not small or easy to house. They're expensive to feed. Their bites can do serious damage even when they're young. They're extremely messy. In many places, they're not even legal to own.

Unfortunately, I find that a lot of people who talk about wanting to own animals like crocodilians are past convincing otherwise. That's how my venom lab gets a surprisingly large amount of our snakes - people buy hot snakes, have a near miss, realize they bit off more than they could chew, and surrender them. The best you can do is try to be a calm voice of reason and challenge misconceptions when you hear them.

[walking-fnaf-encyclopedia]

theyre actually something between siblings and guardians but chica has earned the title of big sister (from monty) and foxy has earned that title of big brother (from roxy)

og glamrock crew (freddy bonnie chica and foxy) and their kids (roxy and monty)

[great-and-small]

Hey, I'm about 40 mins west of St. Augustine... is the Alligator Farm worth seeing with my young adult kids? Thanks for any input you have:)

Absolutely huge yes! The Alligator farm is legitimately one of my favorite places to visit and I think anyone could enjoy a day there. It’s a little unique as a zoo because there is much more focus on reptiles and birds than on mammals (though they have mammals too!). If your kids have even a whisper of interest in crocodilians and birds they will be in total heaven. The AF rookery is probably the best place in Florida to see nesting spoonbills so a visit during the spring and early summer is a must if you have any bird enthusiasts in the mix.

I can also personally attest to the high quality of care provided to animals at this facility. I did some field work there in vet school and was constantly blown away by the individualized care for even their tiniest of critters. The Alligator Farm was also the first zoo in the United States to get a perfect score from the AZA- which is an amazing accomplishment! You can be confident that the animals you’re visiting are in really great hands, which means a lot.

If you get a chance to go I’d recommend catching one of the feedings with their saltie Maximo, he’s an amazing animal.

[alphynix]

Crystal Palace Field Trip Part 1: Walking With Victorian Monsters

The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs take their name from the original Crystal Palace, a glass-paned exhibition building originally constructed for a World's Fair in Hyde Park in 1851.

In 1854 the structure was relocated 14km (~9 miles) south to the newly-created Crystal Palace Park, and a collection of over 30 life-sized statues of prehistoric animals were commissioned to accompany the reopening – creating a sort of Victorian dinosaur theme park – sculpted by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins with consultation from paleontologist Sir Richard Owen.

The Palace building itself burned down completely in 1936, and today only the ruins of its terraces remain in the northeast of the park grounds.

The Crystal Palace building then and now Left image circa 1854 (public domain) Right image circa 2011 by Mark Ahsmann (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Six sphinx statues based on the Great Sphinx of Tanis also survive up among the Palace ruins, flanking some of the terrace staircases. They fell into serious disrepair during the latter half of the 20th century, but in 2017 they all finally got some much-needed preservation work, repairing them and restoring their original Victorian red paint jobs.

———

…But let's get to what we're really here for. Dinosaurs! (…And assorted other prehistoric beasties!)

The "Dinosaur Court" down in the south end of the park still remains to this day, displayed across several islands in a man-made lake. Over the decades they've been through multiple cycles of neglect and renovation, and are currently cared for by the London Borough of Bromley (Crystal Palace Park Trust are due to take over custodial duties in September 2023), with promotion and fundraising assistance from organizations like Historic England and the Friends of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs charity.

Just about 170 years old now, the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs represent fifteen different types of fossil creatures known to 1850s Victorian science, with only three actual dinosaur species featured. Although often derided for being outdated and very inaccurate by modern standards, they were actually incredibly good efforts at the time, especially taking into account that the field of paleontology was still in its very early days.

They also just have a lot of charm, with toothy grins and surprisingly dynamic poses.

Unfortunately on the day I visited in early August 2023 most of the statues were heavily obscured by plant growth, both on their islands and on the sides of the paths they can usually be viewed from. Since I'd seen images from about a month ago showing things being less overgrown, this was probably just some unlucky timing on my part coinciding with some explosive summer foliage growth.

The first island on the trail features a few Permian and Triassic animals which were only known from fragmentary remains in the 1850s. These "labyrinthodonts" were recognized as having similarities to both amphibians and reptiles, and so were depicted with boxy toothy jaws, warty skin, stumpy tails, and long frog-like back legs.

Today we'd call these particular animals temnospondyl amphibians, specifically Mastodonsaurus, and we know they were actually shaped more like giant salamanders with longer flatter crocodilian-like jaws, smaller legs, and long paddle-like tails.

———

Somewhere in the foliage beyond this specific "labyrinthodont" there was also supposed to be a pair of dicynodonts, but I couldn't see much of them at all and didn't manage to get a remotely visible photograph.

Crystal Palace Dicynodon when much less overgrown Left photo by London looks (CC BY 2.0) Right photo by Loz Pycock (CC BY SA 2.0)

These Dicynodon are depicted as looking like sabre-toothed turtles complete with shells. That was fairly speculative even for the time, but considering only their weird turtle-beaked-and-walrus-tusked skulls were known it was probably the best guess Hawkins and Owen had. Today we know these animals were actually synapsids related to modern mammals, but Victorian understanding considered them to be a type of reptile.

Modern reconstructions of dicynodonts have a slightly different face shape, along with squat pig-like bodies and semi-sprawling limbs. They may have had fur, but currently the only known actual skin impressions from the genus Lystrosaurus show leathery bumpy hairless skin.

———

Next time: the Jurassic and Cretaceous sculptures!

[kaijutegu]

Alligator Body Language and You, or: How To Know When An Alligator On Social Media is Being Stressed for Views

Alligators are wild animals. Despite the idiotic claims of animal abusers like Jay Brewer, they cannot be domesticated, which means they are always going to react on the same natural instincts they've had for millions of years. Habituated, yes. Tamed, yes. Trained, definitely. Crocodilians can form bonds with people- they're social and quite intelligent. They can solve problems, use tools, and they're actually quite playful. Alligators are also really good at communicating how they're feeling, but to somebody who doesn't spend much time around them, their body language can be a bit mystifying. And it doesn't help when social media influencers are saying shit like this:

That is not what a happy gator looks like.

That's a terrified, furious gator who isn't attacking because the ogre handling her has her in a chokehold. She's doing everything she can to express her displeasure, and he's lying about it because he knows his audience doesn't even know how to think critically about what he's doing. He knows that because his audience doesn't know anything about these animals, he can get away with it. This I think is why I hate him so much- he deliberately miseducates his audience. He knows what he's doing is factually inaccurate, he just doesn't care because attention means more to him than anything else in the world.

Let's change that! Here are two really important lessons for understanding alligator body language on social media.

Lesson 1: Alligators Don't Smile (in fact, most animals don't)

So what's going on in this video? Jay Brewer is aggressively choking his white alligator Coconut while scrubbing algae off of her with a toothbrush. And make no mistake, he is digging into the creature's throat while she is visibly distressed. He claims she's happy- but she's not. He is willfully misrepresenting what this animal is feeling. That's a problem, because people... well, we actually kind of suck at reading other species' body language. The reason for this is that we tend to overlay our own responses on their physical cues, and that's a problem. For example, let's look at an animal with a really similar face to ours, the chimpanzee. Check out Ama's toothy grin!

Wait, no. That's not a happy smile. That's a threat display. When a chimpanzee "smiles," it's either terrified and doing a fear grimace, or it's showing you its teeth because it intends on using them in your face.

How about a dog? Look at my smiling, happy puppy!

Oh wait no, this is a picture of Ryder when he was super overwhelmed by noise and people during a holiday party. He'd hopped up in my sister's lap to get away from stuff that was happening on the floor and was panting quite heavily. See the tension in the corners of his mouth and his eyes? A lot of the time when a dog "smiles," the smile isn't happy. It's stress! Why Animals Do The Thing has a nice writeup about that, but the point is, our body language is not the same as other species. And for reptiles, body language is wildly different.

For instance, look at these two alligators. Pretty cute, right? Look at 'em, they're posing for a Christmas card or something! How do you think they're feeling?

Well, I'll tell you how the normal one is feeling. He's annoyed! Why is he annoyed? Because the albino just rolled up, pushed another gator off the platform, and is trying to push this guy, too. I know this because I actually saw it happen. It was pretty funny, not gonna lie. He's not gaping all the way, but he was hissing- you can actually see him getting annoyed in the sequence I took right before this shot. Look at him in this first shot here- he's just relaxing, and you can see he isn't gaping even a little bit.

By the end, he's expressing displeasure, but not enough to actually do anything about it. He's annoyed, but he's comfy and that's where one of the best basking areas is, so he'll put up with it.

Reptiles open their mouths wide for a lot of reasons, but never because they are actively enjoying a sensation. Unless they're eating. No reptile smiles- they can't. They don't even have moveable lips. If a reptile is gaping, it's doing so because:

It is doing a threat display.

It is making certain vocalizations, all of which are threats. Alligators are one of the rare reptiles that do regularly vocalize, but most of their calls aren't made with a wide open mouth.

It is about to bite something delicious or somebody stupid. Check out this video- virtually all of the gaping here is anticipatory because these trained gators know darn well that the bowl is full of delicious snacks. (I have some issues with Florida's Wildest, but the man knows how to train a gator AND he is honest about explaining what they're doing and why, and all of his animals are healthy and well-cared for, and he doesn't put the public or his staff at risk- just himself.)

It's too hot and it has opened its mouth to vent some of that heat and thermoregulate. This is the main reason why alligators will often have their mouths part of the way open, but sometimes they'll open all the way for thermoregulation. This is what a thermoregulatory gape looks like- usually it's not all the way open, kinda more like < rather than V, but you can't say that 100% of the time. Additionally, a thermoregulatory gape... typically happens when it's hot out. If they're inside, maybe they've been under their basking light for too long. Heat's the dominant factor, is what I'm getting at.

There is another reason that a captive crocodilian might be gaping, and that's because it's doing so on command. Some places have their gators trained to gape on cue, like St. Augustine Alligator Farm and other good zoos. They have the animals do this in presentations that are genuinely educational. They ask the animals to open their mouths so that they can show off their teeth and demonstrate how their tongues seal off the back of their mouth. They'll also do it as part of routine healthcare, because looking at their teeth is important.

In this case, the animals aren't gaping because they're stressed, they're gaping because they know they're gonna get a piece of chicken or fish if they do it. And what's more, they're doing it on cue. They have a specific command or signal that tells them to open wide. It's not an instinctive response to a situation. It's trained. If the animal provides the behavior after a cue, the situation is much less likely to be negatively impactful.

It's also important to remember that there's a difference between a partially open mouth and a gape! As discussed above, alligators will often have their mouths a little bit open just to maintain temperature homeostasis. It helps them stay comfy, temperature-wise. These guys are all doing thermoregulatory open-mouthed behavior- that slight open and relaxed body posture is a dead giveaway. (That and it's the hottest spot in the enclosure.)

Lesson 2: A Happy Gator Is A Chill Gator

So if alligators don't smile or have facial expressions other than the :V that typically signifies distress, how else can you tell how they're feeling? One way is stillness. See, alligators subscribe to the philosophy of if it sucks... hit da bricks.

Basically, if they hate it, they'll leave. Unless, y'know, somebody has their meaty claws digging into their throat or is otherwise restraining them. (Restraint isn't always bad, btw. Sometimes the animal is going through a medical thing or needs to be restrained for their safety- which a responsible educator will explain.)

Let's look at a very similar scenario, in which a captive alligator is getting his back scrubbed.

As you can see, it's quite different. First, he's not being restrained at all. Second, look at how relaxed he is! He's just chilling there vibing! He could simply get up and leave if he wanted to, because he's not being held. Towards the end of the video, as he lifts his head, you can see that his respiratory rate is very even as his throat flutters a bit. I'm not sure what this facility is, so I can't comment on care/general ethics, but like. In this specific case, this is an alligator enjoying being scrubbed! And you can tell because he's not doing anything. A happy gator is content to be doing what they're doing.

Why Should I Listen To You?

Now, you should ask yourself, why should you listen to me? Why should you trust me, who does not own an alligator, versus Jay Brewer, who owns several?

Well, first off, there's no profit for me in telling you that what you're seeing on social media is in fact not what you're being told you're seeing. I'm not getting paid to do this. That's the thing with people who make social media content. The big names aren't doing it just for fun. They're doing it for money. Whether that's profit through partnerships or sponsorships, or getting more people to visit their facilities, or ad revenue, you can't ignore the factor of money. And this is NOT a bad thing, because it allows educators to do what they're passionate about! People deserve to be paid for the work that they do!

But the problem starts when you chase the algorithm instead of actually educating. A "smiling" alligator gets the views, and if people don't know enough to know better, it keeps getting the views. People love unconventional animal stories and they want those animals to be happy- but the inability to even know where to start with critically evaluating these posts really hinders the ability to spread real information. Like, this post will probably get a couple hundred notes, but that video of Coconut being scrubbed had almost 400,000 likes when I took that screenshot. Think about how many eyeballs that's reached by now. What I'm saying here is that it's just... really important to think critically about who you're getting your information from. What do dissenters say in the comments? What do other professionals say? You won't find a single herpetologist that has anything good to say about Prehistoric Pets, I can tell you that right now.

Another reason you can trust me is that my sources are not "just trust me bro," or "years of experience pretending my pet shop where animals come to die is a real zoo." Instead, here are my primary sources for my information on alligator behavior:

Dragon Songs: Love and Adventure among Crocodiles, Alligators, and Other Dinosaur Relations- Vladimir Dinets

The Secret Social Lives of Reptiles- J. Sean Doody, Vladimir Dinets, Gordon M. Burghardt

Social Behavior Deficiencies in Captive American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis)- Z Walsh, H Olson, M Clendening, A Rycyk

Social Displays of the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)- Kent Vliet

Social Signals and Behaviors of Adult Alligators and Crocodiles- Leslie Garrick, Jeffery Lang

Never smile at a crocodile: Gaping behaviour in the Nile crocodile at Ndumo Game Reserve, South Africa- Cormac Price, Mohamed Ezat, Céline Hanzen, Colleen Downs (this one's Nile crocs, not American alligators, but it's really useful for modeling an understanding of gape behaviors and proximity)

Thermoregulatory Behavior of Captive American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis)- Cheryl S. Asa, Gary D. London, Ronald R. Goellner, Norman Haskell, Glenn Roberts, Crispen Wilson

Unprovoked Mouth Gaping Behavior in Extant Crocodylia- Noah J. Carl, Heather A. Stewart, Jenny S. Paul

Thank you for reading! Here's a very happy wild alligator from Sanibel for your trouble.

[ashton-the-draconid]

The people seemed to like Buddy as a drake, so, time to do more of that, this time with Chase's design! >:) (Please ignore any spelling mistakes I'm begging you)

For those of you who aren't able to read the text, I'll list it below along with some additional information! - Chase ShockWave / Shiver ShockWaves are highly social dragons who live lives similar to many crocodilians. Their main prey is fish, however, they won't hesitate to pick off something smaller. They use their electric powers, which they gain from absorbing sunlight through their photoscales, to sense movement through the water before sending a burst of energy to stun the prey before they swallow it whole with their jaw that can split open (Chase does not have this feature). They are extremely touchy with members of their flock or clan, using their photo scales to transfer energy as a friendly greeting! Shivers are mostly solitary dragons who have an instinctual love for all things metallic and shiny, however, they're also known to be excellent crafters. Though quite stubborn, if a Shiver takes a liking to something, they do everything in their power to protect it, even if it's something living! Gift-giving is in every Shiver's nature, and a good sign of trust is being given or even made a special item by these dragons. With their hot breath, being one of only 3 dragons who can breathe fire, they are no easy prey despite being the smallest species. They fight their battles hard, using everything to their advantage. Their unique ability of being able to send chills through a dragon by locking eyes with them, temporality paralyzing them out of mental fear, is something still being studied. - Buddy Lochin / CastGloom Lochins are the only drake species within the world, and they are the most resourceful of all draconic life. With their ability to shapeshift, they love playing tricks on both friend and foe. Consuming even the tiniest bit of blood, skin, scales, even bones can allow them to mimic any dragon almost perfectly, almost. Though they cannot maintain this form for long, as their need for moisture causes their disguise to fail as soon as they become too wet or dry. Most Lochins live a purely underwater life however, living among large pods where they work together to hunt fish, crabs, urchins, and many other sea life which they crack open with their well developed beaks. They use the patterns on their body as a way of communication, showing off, and intimidation, which each Lochin's pattern being a genetic mix up from their parents! CastGlooms are a sister species of the ShockWave, both coming from the same "true" species of SplitJaw. Just like ShockWaves, CastGlooms go after small prey which they swallow whole. However, that's where their similarities end really. They lunge from the shadows that conceal their bodies like portals, pinning down prey before delivering a fatal blow with their strong arms and swallowing it whole. With incredible paitience, they can track down anything they set their mind to, all while observing undetected. These dragons thrive on the element of surprise, their dark coloration keeping them hidden until a moment too late for whatever they have their sight set on. Though CastGlooms are not the most friendly or caring of dragons, winning the affection will make them show great loyalty, even in the face of moral challenges other dragons would gladly choose themselves over.

This is a series I've had for over 5 years now, and I enjoy turning characters I love into dragons to put into the world. Though I have my own story and characters to share too! Please, feel free to ask away any questions you have, I love sharing my creations. Whether it be about Dragon!Chase / Buddy / Deacon, another fandom I'm in, or my own story.

[vorish-wonderland]

I got Sebek’s “I’ll swallow you whole…” pre-battle line for the first time today, and it gave me sebek vore brainrot. if you are willing could you please write something with him? Maybe Y/N starts getting too friendly with Malleus, and he gets jealous? Also completely besides the point but I love your icon

Includes: soft vore, unwilling prey, gt vore, ambiguous situation for reader (you can view it as safe or unsafe, whichever you want, though it ends well for them dw)

★✦Nobody But I...✦★

☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ

"HUMAN." You hear from behind you, causing you to jump slightly. You nervously turn around, and see Sebek. "You've been very close to Lord Malleus."

"Oh-! S-Sebek-! Hello... um... the weather is-"

"BE QUIET!" He yells, grabbing at his magic pen. "You will not speak to me in such a patronising way, ESPECIALLY when you've been hogging all of Lord Malleus's attention this past month!!"

"I... what???" You are, genuinely, so confused. What in the world is he talking about??

"You will not play dumb with me, human." He scowled, pointing the magic end directly at you. "Nobody but I should be allowed to be that close to him. Nobody."

A spell is suddenly cast upon you!?

Everything around you starts to grow larger... as you start to get smaller... and smaller... and smaller... until you're almost smaller than a mouse.

A gloved hand suddenly grasps you, wrapping all the way around you and effectively sealing you off from the outside world...

When the hand ungrasps, you're right in front of his face... uncomfortably close...

"You are but a worm... and I will show you your place."

Sebek lifts you up further, over his upwardly tilted head, holding you only by your arm... and he opens his mouth, lined with sharp and crocodilian teeth.

"W-wait, wha-?! Sebek, what the-?!"

...

He drops you into his mouth.

Later at Diasomnia dorm, Sebek was feeling proud of himself.

He was feeling proud of himself... until...

"Ah, there you are, Sebek." Malleus approaches from behind. "Have you seen (Y/N)? I have not been able to find them."

"I have not seen them, Lord Malleus." Sebek lies through his teeth.

"How unfortunate... I really wished to talk to them tonight." Malleus sighs, crossing his arms. "I went to Ramshackle dorm, yet I could only find Grim and the ghosts... do you think they went home without telling me?"

"Why would you care so much about some human? And a magicless one at that..."

"You know not what you say."

"I simply don't understand, Lord Malleus! There are plenty of other people to talk to! I'm right here! And if you're so desperate to converse with a human, then there are many others attending Night Raven College besides them!" Sebek explains, angrily.

"You will watch how you speak of them, Sebek Zigvolt."

"Gh-! Y-yes, I apologise, Lord Malleus..." Sebek quiets down, embarrassed.

Malleus leans over, his hands on his knees, before whispering...

"Sebek... do you know where (Y/N) is?" He asks one more time."

"...no... I do not..."

Malleus waves his hand which suddenly, magically, forcefully opens Sebek's mouth. After inspecting Sebek's mouth, Malleus sighs.

"I deeply apologise for this, but it must be done." That's what he says, right before punching Sebek directly in the gut. Malleus did so very carefully, powerful enough to induce regurgitation, though done in a way that actually gave minimal pain.

And out you go, right into Malleus's hands!

You stare up at him, looking frantically between Sebek and Malleus, terrified.

"Tsu...Tsuno...tarou..." You stutter, before bursting out in tears. "UWAAAAAAAHH THAT WAS SO SCARYYYYY-!!"

"Now now, there's no need for tears, little one~" Malleus pets you, like a baby bird... "Let's get you cleaned up, I'll make you a small, bed-like structure on my nightstand so we may keep you safe tonight."

"R-really...? Thank you, Tsunotarou..."

"Sebek." Malleus turned to his... dormmate, his eyes nearly ablaze with green fire of anger. "You are never to do anything like this again, understand?"

"...yes, Lord Malleus." Sebek grumbles, embarrassed because of his actions being found out.

[leafnighthybridwolfsbane]

Mudwing Headcanons

(Info below the cut)

Heh- This is one of the tribes I forgot to add onto. It's not very bad. Each of these will have a description of things with these characters. Genuinely I really enjoy how big Mudwings are. Make me think of the dragon version of a teddy bear in all honesty.

Tribe Headcanons

A Mudwing's cheek spike can sometimes become a second set of horns. This is sexually dimorphic between males and females. Females tend to have the second set as they are normally protecting the eggs until they hatch.

A Mudwing's nostrils can close up like an icewing's, allowing them to be able to hold their breath for an hour without issue. Though, the sealing of the airway is much stronger than an icewing due to the environment Mudwings live in.

Mudwings have a similar look to crocodiles and alligators, allowing their limbs to move similarly to them. Sometimes being able to flatten their bodies low to the ground. This allows them to get into spaces that are as tall as their heads.

Their ears can be either short, or long and flopping. Those with more flopping ears have a much easier time tracking by smell than other Mudwings.

Mudwings have a second eyelid that allows them to be able to keep debris out of their eyes with the murky waters they tend to live around and hide in.

Their counter shading is due to being close relatives to seawings in the evolutionary line. Typically their backs being a wet bark color to look like logs in swampy waters.

Sex/gender when hatched work very similarly to crocodilians. Sex/gender of the eggs are very dependent on the temperatures their eggs were when they hatched. Though outliers (intersex/tras/nonbinary individuals) to the norms do exist in these groups.

Much like how seawings have powerful tails, a Mudwing's strength is unmatched by most other dragons. As if it has been matched at some point by a distant common ancestor. Though, it is unparalleled by other dragons. Normally taking two dragons or more to hold a Mudwing at full strength back.

On the topic of their strength, Mudwings have the strongest bite force out of all the other dragons. Some even known for similar death rolls seen in crocodilian species. These rolls can easily break a limb if a Mudwing isn’t careful.

A Mudwing hatched from a blood red egg can vary on their resistance to fire and fire breath. The darker and redder the scales, it’s a near impenetrable amount of resistance. Old sandwing firescales, blue fire from a Skywing firescales, or lightning are the only things that can get to the darkest and reddest of Mudwings hatched of these eggs.

Mudwing bigwings are considered the most important and responsible of their troop. They’re responsible for keeping their sibs in line and alive. They’re considered disgraced if a sib dies or goes missing. They are to help their sibs find their ranking or occupation, depending if it’s wartime or not.

On the other talon, while we’re talking about bigwings, if they die, the sibs are granted half a season to mourn. Once the mourning period is over, the second half of the season is to decide whether or not they figure out who’s the most qualified sib to take on the responsibilities or if they’re going to become logs.

Mudwings have a type of orphanage system for “logs” or sibs who couldn’t figure out who would be the next bigwings. They are normally taught by bigwings who had lost sibs. Both groups are considered unfavorable, but these are necessities nonetheless so neither are treated too differently for it. Though, it’s been a process for years

Mudwings have almost a sixth sense that’s a more enhanced sense of smell. Due to their culture of getting with different Mudwings, they have developed specific scents with one primary scent that each sib shares. There is a secondary scent to know if another is a half sibling or cousin, and a third that is their own special scent. Normally these scents will be what the parents’ primary scent were for the individual dragonet’s primary and secondary scents.

Mudwings are highly sensitive to scents as a result of this. Going to places like the Scorpion Den or palaces that are well known for excessive perfume and incense use are avoided by Mudwings. These are considered sensory needs to be considered for diplomatic meetings with the Mudwing tribe.

The Mudwing tribe have tusks coming from their lower jaws, similar to a boar. Bigwings will normally have the biggest tusks as a status symbol in their troop. Sometimes even wearing tusk caps depending on their troop’s rank in the kingdom. Though, to avoid similar fates to the boars, they have special occupations that shave them down.

Mudwings are very untrusting of other tribes, seeing them as potential backstabbers rather than allies. This can cause a two-faced and backstabbing acceptance policy during wars. If other Mudwings are hurt during an alliance, the whole tribe will switch to a completely opposite side. Despite their untrusting nature, they’re actually one of the kindest tribes.

Due to their excessive strength, they have an extremely high metabolism, and extensive activity may mean a Mudwing will need to rest longer. They can eat an assortment of foods, but the type that helps their metabolism is meat. This has caused other tribes to see them as gluttonous hogs.

Lore Headcanons

Mudwings are well known for being a polyamorous tribe. Though, not all get with each other romantically. It's considered very common though. The reason why is because they did not always have as many numbers as they did. Many sibs died and they were all not able to make it through the several wars the Mudwings put themselves into. Though with the population being like it is, it is more of a choice now than out of necessity.

Due to their strict sib societal norms, several civil wars have broken out to get them to be as somewhat accepting as they are. As stated, this has caused their numbers to drop significantly.

The last Mudwing civil war was around some time before the sandwing war. The other tribes had become tired of the internal fighting and decided to join in to help. Seeing how powerful Mudwings were first hand, they decided to go in for their own gains. This was found out and it nearly cost the Mudwings their existence. Though, they made it through despite the odds.

Unlike other tribes, Mudwings will gang up on a Queen and take her out of power in favor for another. Normally it will be a bigwings from another troop. This is so they do not go through another war.

The Mudwing fight pits are the way that they have chosen to take out aggression on the political climate in their tribe. Be it policies on sibs or even just something as simple that a well bred sheep equates to the same amount as three cattle. This has stopped the infighting from breaking out into outright civil war.

Fight pits are not a death sentence though. When they were first implemented, they were used similarly to the Skywing arena. This didn’t fly with the lower classed Mudwings. This ended up being the first overthrowing of a Queen in their history. The Queen and her sibs did end up killed, but the sibs were only by rogue Mudwings.

With the great sense of smell Mudwings have, their greatest exports are perfumes and incense. Most of the time the incense are for religious practices in other tribes, or grieving rituals.

The only tribe Mudwings consider less of a betrayal threat are the rainwings. This is also the only tribe they give their exports out to without an extensive regime for them to follow. Most believe that due to a rainwing’s size, they’re less likely to be able to handle a Mudwing’s strength without 4-5 of them.

Drawing Inspirations

Siberian cats are what I will be using as inspiration of poses and body typing.

I personally believe most Mudwings have patters similarly to crocodilians, with other marsh and swamp creatures being rarer to see.

Crocodilians were a major inspiration for how Mudwing biology works.

With the way that Mudwing society is in the books, I can see them being swingers or polyamorous as a tribe. Though that isn’t every Mudwing. I just wanted to indulge myself in this.

Wings of Fire Headcanon List

Leafwings

Hivewings

Silkwings