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 Hi, everyone. My name's Edmund, and I'm an
American Alligator. I'm four years old and I'm already 5 feet long. I live in the
Everglades National Park in Florida. You may have heard of my show, Swamp Talk. The reason I started the show is that I love the Everglades and I
want to stop bad things from happening here that are hurting the plants and
animals. If I tell the world more about the bad things that are happening here,
maybe people will help us stop them. My friend Mya, who's an Anhinga bird, says I shouldn't be the host since I can't fly around and see everything that's going on. But she's just a bird and doesn't understand that alligators are the most important animal in the Everglades. When the dry season comes, it's up to us alligators to find water underground and dig a big hole to create a pond (called a gator hole) that's like a hotel and restaurant for alligators and all kinds of other animals. We live there until it rains again and we can move back to our own neighborhoods. You might have heard that alligators are endangered. That used to be true, but we're making a comeback. Some humans think we make good pets, suitcases, belts, wallets, even dinner. I don't know why humans would eat alligator, (we're very tough), when there are so many more tender delicious things to eat, like fish, duck, raccoons, muskrats, and turtles. Have you ever tried a plump, tasty muskrat? They're one of my favorite snacks. To save the alligator, the United States Congress created the Endangered Species Act. See why are we so important? Other animals are on that list, but it was created just for us. It did such a good job that we are no longer endangered. In fact, alligators are celebrities now and you'll see our picture everywhere if you visit Florida. Being a celebrity is another good reason for me to be the spokesgator for the Everglades. Mya can be such a birdbrain. Don't tell her I said that, or she'll start in on me about Ava again. She thinks Ava is my girlfriend. That's how dumb she is. Do you have lots of brothers and sisters? Not as many as I do, I bet. Most alligators have up to fifty! That's a lot of family at Thanksgiving. Since I'm a reptile, I was hatched from an egg. Pretty cool, huh? I broke out of that egg and went straight to the water. My mother didn't even have to show me where it was. That's how smart baby alligators are. Don't tell my friend Hector the Crocodile, but I've been practicing bellowing and roaring, 'cause as soon as I'm six feet long, I can start to mate and girl alligators are only impressed by boy alligators with deep voices. Did you listen to my audio clip? I think I sound pretty good, but there's a lot of competition now that there are so many alligators back in Florida. Send me email at edmund@swamptalk.com back to Today's episode This is a demo for a Web serial. Copyright © 1997 Big Story |