I read somewhere that Duck Dunn once told John Fogerty that there weren't any alligators in LA. I don't know the exact context, but the point, of course, was that Fogerty's swamp rock was fake. I doubt if the comment, however, was made in a genuinely critical way. Like I said, I really don't know the context.
Duck Dunn's comment got me thinking.
https://faunafacts.com/alligators/are-there-alligators-in-california/
On the one hand:
Alligators and crocodiles are not native to California. There are no alligators and crocodiles in California except in zoos and in the homes of people who keep them illegally as pets. One might read an article about the California Crocodile, but this species is new, and there is no official word about it from the scientific community. In addition, this crocodile was not found in the US but Baja, California, in Mexico.
But on the other hand:
Yes, alligators can survive in California. The weather is ideal for the gators, and there are many bodies of fresh water in the state.
It snows in California, but it does not get as cold as it does in New York. On the south side of the state, snowfall happens rarely. If it does snow, the amount of snowfall is negligible.
So, how will the alligators survive? For one, there are more than 3,000 lakes and reservoirs in the state. Below are the biggest ones:
Mono Lake
Goose Lake
Honey Lake
Lake Tahoe
Salton Sea
All these lakes are teeming with wildlife, and there is no reason for a crocodile or alligator not to survive. In addition, there is plentiful food in the state. In addition to this, there are 100 rivers in the state. What this means is that alligators have plenty of options where to build a home in the state.
You would think that a similar sized mammal carnivore would have by now certainly made its way to the West Coast. Even the gators have made it to Texas. So why not warm Southern California? I mean they can't be all Confederates and/or white supremacists, can they?! :mrgreen:
(https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349962504/figure/fig7/AS:999991208316931@1615427891700/Piebald-top-and-leucistic-bottom-Alligator-mississippiensis-hatched-at-a-Florida.png)
******
PS: This thread is a good one. From Chinese balloons to rebel reptiles via WW I helmets and panning Springsteen, CCR + Prince along the way, with sufficient mandatory Deep Purple/Ritchie name checks. Yet we started with weather observation and are now again musing about Californian climate! It all makes sense in some twisted way. Glorious.
(https://news.usni.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/china_sailor_binoculars-reuters.jpg)
I think we've lost them, Comrade Captain, the insidious Americans have reverted to coded language!
But the Rebels are already up North!
(https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/7cc09243fbd584e3cb881c4ad1a7d972660c1c8f/80_0_1200_720/master/1200.jpg?width=620&quality=45&dpr=2&s=none)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/20/alligator-brooklyn-prospect-park-lake-new-york
Poor critter, hope he/she recuperates (you can tell by his/her emaciated tail that he/she found it too cold to hunt for food). They could have at least driven him/her down South before releasing him/her.