Texas’ favorite alligator has gone from coastal celebrity to Beaumont bachelor to proud father.
Boots, the massive former Port Aransas alligator who found an unlikely love connection after being relocated to Gator Country earlier this year, has welcomed his first babies with his girlfriend, Blossom.
And apparently, Boots is quite the charmer.
“Obviously, he’s a real romantic kind of fellow,” Gator Country owner Gary Saurage told Chron. “They kind of just hang out together now.”
It’s the latest chapter in a whirlwind year for Boots, who was removed from Port Aransas in February after becoming too accustomed to people. The roughly 12-foot gator quickly settled into his new home in Beaumont and, within weeks, began spending time with Blossom, an 8-foot female alligator.
At the time, Saurage predicted Boots would become a father by August and that Blossom would lay 30 to 35 eggs. He wasn’t far off.
Blossom laid 31 eggs, and as of Thursday, four baby alligators had hatched. Saurage said Gator Country is waiting to see whether more will emerge.
Four baby alligators have hatched from the 31 eggs laid by Blossom at Gator Country. (Gator Country)
“We’re gonna give the other ones a little bit longer before we try to assist them in cracking out,” he said.
Typically, Saurage said, viable alligator eggs in a clutch begin hatching within a short period of one another. He’s unsure how many more of Blossom’s eggs will hatch, noting that captive alligators have a different diet than their wild counterparts, which can affect reproduction.
For now, the four newest members of the Boots family appear to be thriving.
“They’re really strong little babies,” Saurage said. “They’ve got fat little tummies, and they’re just smacking around trying to bite everything.”
Two baby alligators emerge from two of 31 eggs laid by Blossom at Gator Country. (Gator Country)
Gator Country staff removed Blossom’s eggs from her nest and placed them with nesting material inside a protected building, keeping the hatchlings safely away from the facility’s larger alligators.
Staff have also helped some of the babies break free of their shells when they appeared ready. In a video shared by Gator Country, a worker can be seen carefully opening an egg after spotting movement inside.
“We thought, OK, let’s go ahead and assist it,” Saurage said. “You can look at the ones that are ready to come out and give a little bit of help.”
What’s next for Boots’ babies
The hatchlings will spend their first few days in a nursery while staff monitor the areas where their embryos were attached. Saurage said they should be ready to make their public debut this weekend.
Afterward, they’ll move into individual indoor aquariums. Once they reach about 2 feet long, they’ll graduate to larger tubs and remain indoors until they’re roughly 3 feet. Then it’s on to outdoor ponds with similarly sized alligators.
Don’t expect a Boots family reunion anytime soon.Saurage said Gator Country separates alligators by size because larger gators can prey on smaller ones. Blossom wouldn’t eat her own hatchlings, he said, but other alligators could.
“The mother won’t eat her own, but every other alligator will,” Saurage said. “It’s just being an alligator.”
The babies don’t have names yet. Saurage said his wife, who runs Gator Country’s social media accounts, will likely decide how they’re named, possibly through a public naming contest.
Boots, a 12-foot-3-inch alligator, was once a familiar sight at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center in Port Aransas. (Padre Island Madre)
Meanwhile, Boots and Blossom are still spending plenty of time together. When visitors head to the main bridge to feed the alligators, Saurage said the pair often show up side by side.
“They’ll come out there and visit everybody, and they’ll eat,” he said. “They play the role really well. They’re there for the whole world to see.”
Boots and Blossom hang out together at Gator Country in Beaumont. (Gator Country)
Boots’ old Port Aransas fans might eventually get to see more than photos of his growing family. Saurage said Gator Country is working with the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce on bringing one of its traveling live shows to the coastal city, potentially with its former resident and his offspring in tow.
“We’re working with the Chamber of Commerce on that now,” Saurage said. “Everything looks real positive right now.”
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This article originally published at Texas’ favorite alligator Boots welcomes his first babies.