A Strange Sight in Colorado

Travel Quiz – What can this strange sight be? A photo shopped alligator in Colorado? Fake snow at a gator pond in Florida? A Colorado gator in his natural environment? A real photo? Had I labeled these A - D the answer is....D! On Highway 17, 15 miles north of Alamosa, the Colorado Gator Farm is an excellent stop for entertainment and education. Even as a biologist, I knew little about alligators, having not spent time in the tropics. Learned much in an hour about gators, their behavior, their physiology, and their amazing evolutionary 'run' of 80 million years! Though not alligators' natural habitat, they can survive and thrive in high altitude cold as long as their hot spring ponds are filled with 87 degree water and they get plenty of sun!

Pleasures – An educational treasure in a valley with much to see and do. See snakes, turtles, alligators and other reptiles that have been rescued. They deserve a home here. Spend as little as an hour or a half day depending on your fascination meter! A perfect stop on your way to the Great Sand Dunes that can be seen a few miles away tucked against the majestic Sangre de Cristos to the east. Check website for special events.

Perils – Colorado Gator Farm is safe but leave alligator wrestling to the experts and the movies. Keep an eye on children and leave pets in the car. Alligators can be ferocious hunters and opportunists for a meal. There is a reason the species has been around for millions of years. Reptiles have odors so it will not smell like an Italian restaurant.