1982/09/01 by R. Howard Hunt, Myrna E. Watanabe · 2 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior #Animal Behavior and Reproduction #Marine animal studies overview
paper · doi:10.2307/1563716
openalex publication_date 1982/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Maternal behavior of four female alligators was observed over a six year period at Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia. Nursery areas and dens were noted and described. Mother-offspring interactions involving vocalizations were observed including two instances of mothers vocalizing while moving their pods to new nursery areas. Three of the females attacked without injuring juveniles mixing with pods of younger animals and females guarded nests and young from human intrusion. Vocal interactions between mothers and offspring indicate the possibility of a temporal relationship between maternal vocalizations and/or movements and offspring vocalizations and/ or movements but this cannot be confirmed statistically at this time.