The gators, which were reported to . I really couldn't tell whether I was in da Club in the 'hood or on the San Marcos river!!! Those phones are ringing, now, Cooper said, with Houston-area TP&W offices getting 10-15 calls a day, and sometimes a lot more, from worried folks who have spotted one of the tens of thousands of gators crawling across the landscape in search of a new home territory, a mate or both. now = new Date The gators, which were reported to have been 9 to 10 feet long, were photographed by two wildlife photographers who said it was their first alligator sighting. The location of its nostrils, at the top of its snout, allows the American alligator to breathe while the rest of its body is submerged underwater. Size. Crocodiles are light green to light brown with a molted pattern over their bodies, alligators are dark gray, and some are black with cream-colored bellies. on a hot day in February there were several people swimming and a bunch in kayaks and SUPs. They are mostly present in the ecological region of the state in coastal marshes and prairies. The fastest speed recorded for an alligator was 35 miles per hour. One of the main differences between alligators and crocodiles is the snout. Lets get started. The alligator grows to a maximum size of approximately 11 feet and the largest recorded alligator weighs a whopping 1,000 pounds. Within the last year, alligators have been reportedly seen in other North Texas waters: the Trinity River, Eagle Mountain Lake, Lake Lewisville and Lake Worth. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Alligators have been recently documented in the Guadalupe River above Canyon Reservoir, the upper Brazos River system and even farther west, in areas where the reptiles havent been seen in a century, if ever. There are only two alligator species left in the world. As with any body of water, visitors and tourists are advised to practice reasonable caution. SAPD calls: Body in flooded creek; man dead after hit by San Antonio eyes stickers in fight against domestic violence, Man accused of strangling neighbor to death in apartment, SA's last Tuskegee Airman buried at Fort Sam, Pedestrian killed in hit-and-run on Interstate 35 downtown, San Antonio Missions hovering at .500 after series split, Softball: Davenport's Kinley Keller named E-N Player of the Week, Baseball: Brandeis' Matt McClenan named E-N Player of the Week, Track and field: Smithson Valley's Jones, Taft's White named E-N. It is a college town. While both alligators and crocodiles have the ability to grow to be huge, generally speaking, adult crocodiles are larger than alligators by several feet. There are some small rapids at the end if you're the adventurous type. Visit this link to pose your question and vote on which questions we should answer. 2023 Copyright by Travel Safe - Abroad. Or are we? They had friendly relations with the Tonkawa Indians, but the hostile Comanche tribe forced them to leave in 1812. Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons signed a deal to become a spokesperson and brand ambassador for San Antonio financial services company SWBC last week. The Texas Water Safari is billed as the "World's Toughest Boat Race" and Amos Cooper knows exactly when Texas half-million-plus alligators begin their annual springtime mating season. The banks of the river in certain parts were busy, especially the pull out point where the rapids are. [6], The San Marcos River is considered to be one of the most biologically diverse aquatic ecosystems known in the Southwestern United States. Alligators. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. Grab a tube and go for a float. Who knew Texas had an aquifer? Thought we might spend a day or so getting to know the area / visit the river. In those instances, Texas allows landowners to request removal of the animal, with the capture and movement of the offending reptile done by one of the 73 Texans who hold TP&W-issued nuisance alligator control permits. We did go down the river twice. Swimmers are also warned to keep an eye out forwater moccasins that may be present in the river during warmer temperatures. Bring your own canoe and arrange your own shuttles. If open, how's the water in May super cold? In the video, you can hear the tour guide say excitedly, "I can't even believe I am looking at this right now. %PDF-1.6 % San Marcos River | City of San Marcos, TX By signing up you agree to ourTerms of ServiceandPrivacy Policy. Great escape from the summer heat! Crocodiles belong to theCrocodylidae family and alligators belong to theAlligatordae family. Other endangered species include the fountain darter and San Marcos gambusia, which reside in the San Marcos River. places to stay, tourism, events, lodging, and we feature Texas Hill Country info A beautiful river snakes through San Marcos. The color is another giveaway that can easily help you to distinguish between these two reptiles. Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information. The fountain darter is characterized by the mottled brown body and dark markings that help it camouflage into the bottom of the San Marcos River banks. We toured the Commemorative Air Force airplane hangar at the San Marcos Airport and saw the That's All Brother which was famously the lead aircraft during the D-Day invasion. Females are smaller than males and weigh between 100 and 150 pounds, depending on the species. In the huge majority of instances, the best thing is to just leave it alone, Cooper said. The river is clear with long flowing grasses growing in parts. 6:15 AM on Sep 30, 2021 CDT. We have some fishing equipment to loan. Can anyone advise if river & parks are now open to visitors/ tubing allowed? Super affordable, lot's of helpful staff, a small shop for any last minute needs, and free parking made for a great experience out of the water. It was about an hour trip down the river and that was just enough time for my three boys (6,10,13). Read all 400 reviews . The first key difference between these two reptiles istheir snouts. Always a refreshing 72 degrees, the river is enjoyed year 'round. However, Gluesenkamp also believes that the alligator was a pet that someone probably released upstream illegally as it is rare to find one in that section of the river. And its what triggers the flood of calls to TP&W offices from folks who spot one of these roving reptiles, almost always subadult gators measuring 4-6 feet. That is wickedly cool. 0 If an alligator ever chases you, its best to run straight ahead, not in a zigzag motion. 119 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<79DC5C66F1D06441BA0DEB0869DC7C18>]/Index[97 42]/Info 96 0 R/Length 116/Prev 752325/Root 98 0 R/Size 139/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream Tracking the gator population isnt easy because they tend to be shy creatures, Warner said, but he estimates that roughly 400,000 to 500,000 alligators live across the entire state, with the bulk of that population concentrated in parts of South, East and southeast Texas. A quick glance should be able to tell you the difference between these two reptiles if you are familiar with what to look out for. Review of San Marcos River, San Marcos, TX - Tripadvisor It can be very crowded in the summertime weekends. Our alligator population in Texas is excellent, said Cooper, noting good habitat conditions created by abundant rains.