Those who feed the alligators may think they aren’t doing any harm. You Can Avoid Florida Alligator Attacks With Some Common Sense. Alligators are nocturnal hunters. There’s a mama somewhere nearby. If you see an alligator in the wild, it's best to give it space, Ross said. Growing up to nearly 15 feet in length, the American alligator can take up residence in Florida's canals, lakes, rivers and swamps. My husband took me out to his parent’s dock one night when we were first dating and shone a light over the lake. They hunt from dusk to dawn. Therefore since alligators and crocodiles are unlike the owl or bat being that crocodilians are diurnal creatures they have very good color vision. The amount of shiny eyes across the lake was phenomenal. In alligators this eye-shine is red, but it can be different colors in other species. To further expand, hogs, varmints, and predators can see low wavelength light well (blue light), but as the wavelength increases they have a hard time visually processing the light. The Florida alligator is regularly in the news because they turn up everywhere close to freshwater. If you see a baby gator, get out of the area fast. Source(s): 21 years working with alligators and some crocodiles. These rod cells are good at collecting light; however do not collect color vision. For starters, don't go into the water if there is an alligator there. An alligator can be seen swimming near the boardwalk at Lake Sumter Landing. An Alligator's eyes are adapted to see underwater because half the time they live underwater. Believe that things happen for a purpose. They catch their food underwater, bathe themselves underwater, and they can sometimes nap there. The laws vary state to state on whether it is legal to own an alligator as a pet, and what permits are required to do so, but even in states where alligators are illegal to … In this case, many nocturnal animals such as owls and/or bats are color blind. So not only can they see, hear, and smell potential prey, but they can feel it moving in the water, as well. You frequently see violations of this law at Lake Sumter Landing where alligators like to swim up to the boardwalk in hope of scoring something to savor. Many other animals that are not mammals only have one pigment cone which means they see in black and white. Friends back in Arizona continually ask me about Florida alligator attacks. If the crocodile you see is aggressive, this means that you should stop overthinking and try to ease your mind. However, you can avoid alligator attacks with some normal common sense. This structure is located beneath the photoreceptor cells (rods and cones) in the retina and reflects light back into these cells to increase the amount of light detected, which improves an alligator's vision in low light conditions. 2 0 Prime gator hunting grounds. Consider this a reminder to broaden your horizon. Dreaming of swimming with an alligator; A swim with an alligator is a symbol of worldly needs, be it physical, emotional, or material.