Johan-swamp Stuff

[Edi]

Crocs and gators have nothing on the hippo. Even big crocs will give way because a hippo will generally kick their tail. A large hippo can weigh over two tons, so they can just trample a croc or a gator, or failing that, those teeth would really hurt. Hippos kill more people every year than crocs do and they will easily reduce a boat to a collection of matchsticks, toothpicks and unidentifiable splinters.

I would also note that a ten-foot python is not much ofa contest for a big gator or croc, but toss in a 20-footer or bigger one and it starts looking a lot different all of a sudden. For one, a lot more squeezing power, a snake that size is far stronger than a 10-foot one (which is quite capable of killing a human). Anacondas kill alligators and eat them, though once a gator gets big enough, it's no longer a viable meal.

But an escaped household snake against a wild croc or gator? Bleh. No contest.

[Xietor]

The alligator in the la museum was 80 years old, over 19 feet long and weighed over 2 tons itself.

Hippos are not found in the united states, so no hippo has EVER stepped on a 19 foot alligator's tail and lived to tell the tale. fact.

A 30 anaconda would not want to mess with a 19' gator either. For one, it is too big and tough to squeeze to death, so the anaconda could not even damage a big gator.

That gator that killed that anaconda was only a BABY. it was 7' long. so the anaconda was 8' long. Trust me giving the anaconada another 13' and the gator another 16' would in no way have changed the result.

American Gators-King of the Swamp. And it is not even close. A 6' man could walk into the mouth of a 19' gator, and not bump his head. Because of hunting, most gators do not live long enough to get full grown any more, but if you ever saw a full grown gator, you would change your tune.

[lch]

Yay, off-topicness. I do remember that Hippos are among the most dangerous mammals, too, and googling for "dangerous hippo" seems to confirm that (have a look at the first three links). Crocodiles seem to stay clear of hippos in general.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL0ScGo8SJc

[Edi]

A 19' gator is a monster of epic proportions and you don't get too many of those. If you measure by length, equal length will always favor gator, because it has greater mass for the same length.

But most crocs and gators don't grow to such monstrous sizes. Neither do most pythons, in the wild anyway. Anacondas are substantially larger than pythons (thicker, more mass) even if they do not achieve the same length. I grant that the gators that anacondas hunt tend to be young ones.

I've never seen a live gator, but I've seen enough footage of various types of croc (including the Australian sea crocs that grow up to 35') to know just how big they are. Even Nile crocs can reach impressive lengths.With regard to that, even the big Nile crocs (12-15') stay away from hippos because the potential reward for tangling with one is not worth the risk of injury. They do attack young hippos when they can, though.

[Xietor]

the comparison between the american gator and the crok, however, is not a great one.

While the croks are longer, the gators are much "thicker"
and "broader."

For the purposes of MA Ctis, I would like the White Sacred Alligators to be the full sized ones, 19' variety. And yes, seeing a 19' Gator is actually akin to seeing a sea monster.

It is staggering. But that is the size they reach in the wild if they are not killed by hunters. sadly, almost all of them that get large these days are killed before they reach full size.

[Xietor]

What race could get a hippo? heh.

[johan osterman]

My gator can beat your gator.

[Xietor]

My gator is bigger

[SelfishGene]

So if it's a sloth of bears and a murder of crows, what's a bunch of 'gators called? (No, can't use rednecks or thugs ).

[Xietor]

what's a bunch of 'gators called

Gumbo