Newport Aquarium has announced the addition of two dozen adorable baby alligators to the popular Gator Alley collection of exhibits.
Guests will have the opportunity to see baby alligators swimming in the bayou and basking on its banks.
The aquarium is celebrating their growing family with a Bayou Baby BOGO offer. Through November 3, buy one general admission ticket and get one of equal or lesser value for free.
Just in time for the cool, brisk weather, guests can watch the hatchlings explore their new home, which replicates a cypress swamp like those found in Florida and Louisiana.
Alligators thrive in the warm, humid temperatures of the bayou, so this new home is a perfect nursery for the Bayou Babies.
“Seeing a group of baby gators in the wild is exciting but can be rare. They have a lot of natural predators, so they are excellently camouflaged,” said Newport Aquarium General Curator, Kelly Sowers. “It’s so special that guests get to see the babies up close and watch them grow up at Newport Aquarium.”
The hatchlings are about one month old and only six inches long. Baby alligators grow about a foot a year during their first few years. They can grow to be as big as or bigger than Snowball and Snowflake, the aquarium’s rare white alligators.
The Newport Aquarium’s dedicated Animal Care Team is overseeing the hatchlings and monitoring their weights, measurements and food intake.
As the Bayou Babies are acclimating, they’re slowly being introduced to their larger exhibit where they’ll swim under guests’ feet as they cross over a clear floor. But first, they’re spending time in a “baby pool” on the bayou’s beach and dock area. “What’s especially cute is to see the baby gators perched up on the rocks in the baby pool when they’re being fed by a member of the Animal Care Team,” said Sowers.
The American alligator was brought back from the brink of extinction in the 1980s. It is an endangered species success story so these baby alligators are important ambassadors for education and learning. “Their story should help us all appreciate these amazing and important animals today. They can teach us a huge lesson in how to protect other species that are in danger of going extinct,” said Sowers.
Buy One Get One FREE
See the Bayou Babies now during the Bayou Baby BOGO where you can buy one admission and get one admission of equal or lesser value for free. This offer is available through November 3rd with advance purchase online at Newport Aquarium.com.
For more information, visit NewportAquarium.com or call 800-406-FISH (3474).
Newport Aquarium
