Best Dressed
Posted by Linda Zajac on May 13, 2005
Q: 1. what is the correct spelling for saw grass, sawgrass or saw-grass?
2. Over short distances, how fast can an alligator run (in mph)?
I've read there's no study measuring this and other numbers ranging from 6.2 to 35 mph. That's quite a disparity.
A: Linda:
1. There is no definitive spelling for the plants of the genus Cladium. It can be "sawgrass, saw-grass, or saw grass." This is why scientists world-wide use the binomial system of nomenclature. Therefore when it is discussed or written about it's called "Cladium jamaicense" for example.
2. This is quite a disparity of numbers for an alligator's speed! I imagine that if a scientist were to do a study he/she would have to figure in the size of the animal, the substrate it was running on, and the temperature of the day (alligators are cold-blooded animals). It's probably because of these variables that the speed range is all over the place.
Go to this web site where alligator running speed is discussed. Good Luck!
Jim Berry ( May 13, 2005)