Current:Home > reviewsRekubit Exchange:Jawlene, Jawlene! Florida alligator missing top jaw gets punny Dolly Parton name -Capitatum
Rekubit Exchange:Jawlene, Jawlene! Florida alligator missing top jaw gets punny Dolly Parton name
Indexbit View
Date:2025-04-07 14:41:40
Jolene's beauty was beyond compare,Rekubit Exchange Dolly Parton sang in her hit song.
This Florida alligator may not have "flaming locks of auburn hair" or a smile that's "like a breath of spring" but she is a survivor.
Earlier this month, an alligator missing its top jaw was rescued by wildlife officials after being spotted in Sanford, Florida. The gator was affectionately named Lil Guy by a local wildlife advocate before being transferred to Gatorland.
Turns out Lil Guy was a little girl.
The beginning:Florida alligator missing his top jaw, rescued after finding online fame
A new name
After discovering her sex, Gatorland asked for the public's help to rename the alligator, who is thought to have lost her top jaw in a snare trap.
"This little gator is an absolute treasure, we are so in love with her," Gatorland CEO and president Mark McHugh said in a Facebook video.
McHugh went on to say that one name suggestion from the public really stuck out.
"We're gonna name this little gator Jawlene," he said in the video as Gatorland's international ambassador, Savannah Boan, held the reptile.
Boan then belted out: "Jawlene, Jawlene, Jawlene, Jawlene!" ala "Jolene."
"Omgosh!! That name is perfect!" one commenter said. Another added: "You go girl!!!! Keep getting stronger!!!!"
'He was massive':Mississippi alligator hunters catch 13-foot, 650-pound giant amid storm
Nabbed:New Jersey police finally track down, capture gator on the loose for weeks
Jawlene's first veterinary appointment
At 49 inches long and weighing just 7 pounds, Jawlene arrived malnourished and underweight, Dr. Jim Bogan said in a Gatorland video.
"How do you even breathe?" he said looking at her in wonder. He explained that alligators usually breathe through the nostrils on their top jaw, but Jawlene does so through a hole at the back of her mouth.
At one point, she tried (unsuccessfully) to bite the vet.
In their Facebook post, Boan said that Jawlene has successfully eaten mice on her own and has put on some weight. She doesn't chew, but rather uses her tongue to push food to the back of her mouth and swallow it.
Jawlene is recovering well and staying in isolation in her own private pool.
"We're gonna let her get comfortable, start eating, put on some weight, and just get situated in her new world," McHugh said, adding that there were no immediate plans for a prosthetic jaw for Jolene just yet, though that could be a possibility in the future.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- IMF’s Georgieva says there’s ‘plenty to worry about’ despite recovery for many economies
- NBC entrusts Noah Eagle, 27, to lead Team USA basketball broadcasts for Paris Olympics
- Charli XCX, Troye Sivan announce joint Sweat concert tour: How to get tickets
- Paris Olympics live updates: Quincy Hall wins 400m thriller; USA women's hoops in action
- Vermont farms are still recovering from flooding as they enter the growing season
- Takeaways from this week’s reports on the deadly 2023 Maui fire that destroyed Lahaina
- Florida’s Bob Graham dead at 87: A leader who looked beyond politics, served ordinary folks
- Connie Chiume, South African 'Black Panther' actress, dies at 72
- Neighbor risks life to save man, woman from house fire in Pennsylvania: Watch heroic act
Ranking
- RFK Jr. grilled again about moving to California while listing New York address on ballot petition
- Mississippi legislators won’t smooth the path this year to restore voting rights after some felonies
- NBC entrusts Noah Eagle, 27, to lead Team USA basketball broadcasts for Paris Olympics
- Camila Mendes Keeps Her Evolving Style Flower-Fresh in Coach Outlet’s Latest Flower World Collection
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Simone Biles thought 'world is going to hate me' after she left team final at Tokyo Games
- NASCAR's Bubba Wallace and Wife Amanda Expecting First Baby
- Sydney Sweeney responds to acting criticism from film producer Carol Baum: 'That’s shameful'
Recommendation
NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
'Sasquatch Sunset': Jesse Eisenberg is Bigfoot in possibly the strangest movie ever made
How many rounds are in the NFL draft? Basic info to know for 2024 event
Alabama lawmakers reject bill to require release of police body camera video
In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
What is hyaluronic acid? A dermatologist breaks it down.
Dawn Staley shares Beyoncé letter to South Carolina basketball after national championship
Voter ID took hold in the North Carolina primary. But challenges remain for the fall election