Archives of The Cold Blooded News

The Newsletter of the Colorado Herpetological Society

Volume 29, Number 10;   October, 2002

Scientist Finds Jaw Bumps Help Gators Find Prey

Alligators locate their prey in the swamps by using nerve-packed bumps on their jaws so sensitive that they can detect ripples from a single drop of water, a study says.

Alligators have hundreds of such bumps that cover their faces like beards, said Daphne Soares, who recently finished work toward her doctorate at the University of Maryland.

Half-submerged alligators rely on this sensory array to pinpoint splashes, whether it is from a fallen hatchling or an animal stooping for a drink, Soares said.

"These are armored creatures, but they have developed this elegant way to be sensitive to their environment," she said. Her study appears in the journal Nature.

Fossil evidence suggests the sensory ability emerged 200 million years ago in the ancestors of modern alligators.

Louis Guilette, a professor of zoology at the University of Florida, said the study explains behavior observed in nature. Whenever his boat splashes a gator, Guilette said, the reptile invariably meets it face-first. "We've known this behavior for years. It's nice to put together that behavior with actual structure," he said.