Your pick for School "Spirit Leader"

[Cajun1997]

Which would you choose?

[NOCajun]

The bad part is, I think no matter what we would ultimately choose to be our mascot, someone's going to ask for an explanation because our team name is unique enough where you can't really have a difinitive representation. I picked the Catahoula Hound, and I say we have one of the cheerleaders run with the dog around the side of the stadium where the Cajuns score!!

[sandra]

Since UL's colors are vermilion and white, have you ever heard of leucistic alligators?

[Cajun1997]

Originally posted by sandra
Since UL's colors are vermilion and white, have you ever heard of leucistic alligators?

That is above my vocabulary

[NOCajun]

Leucistic? Is that like albino?

[sandra]

Leucistic alligators are white. I think there are a dozen or so in some Louisiana zoo.

[sandra]

Originally posted by NOCajun
Leucistic? Is that like albino?

No they have blue eyes but they are white.

[NOCajun]

I believe the Audubon Zoo and/or the Acquarium of the Americas(in New Orleans) has some.

[Turbine]

Originally posted by NOCajun
I believe the Audubon Zoo and/or the Acquarium of the Americas(in New Orleans) has some.

Wonder if we could get one?

[NOCajun]

Originally posted by Turbine
Wonder if we could get one?

Doubtful. Probably an endangered species.

[Turbine]

Originally posted by NOCajun
Doubtful. Probably an endangered species.

Endangered species huh? Then it seems with our D1 concerns of the past, this must be our mascot.

[NOCajun]

.THAT'S IT!! A white(leucistic) alligator mascot in a RED CAJUNS uniform!! What do you think!?!

[1stTake]

Originally posted by NOCajun
.THAT'S IT!! A white(leucistic) alligator mascot in a RED CAJUNS uniform!! What do you think!?!

It makes too much sense they would never go for it.

Anyone have info on a White Alligator.

[Cajun1997]

Are these gators native to Louisiana?

[Turbine]

Originally posted by SwampFox
Are these gators native to Louisiana?

Yes it seems that Louisiana Land and Exploration Company (LL&E), discovered them and according to this story below Louisiana is the only place outside of legend that they have been found.

---

LOUISIANA IS HOME TO SO MANY WONDERFUL CREATURES THAT LIVE OFF THE bountiful marshes and nutrient-rich swamps across the state. From the brown pelican to the wood duck, our state is teeming with wildlife that often catches the attention of visitors and natives alike who travel down into "Bayou Country." While alligators attract spectators wherever they're found, no gator sparks the curiosity of onlookers as much as Louisiana's own charmers the white alligators.

The story of the white alligators is just as unique to Louisiana's coastal environment as the creatures themselves. Decades ago, traditionally marked alligators had been hunted out, nearly to extinction, as their hides were -- and remain -- in great demand by the high-fashion leather industry both here and abroad. The alligator was placed on the endangered species list.

. . .

In the fall of 1987, as LL&E teams were poised to pick up hatchlings soon after birth from several nests under observation, 18 white alligators hatched in one nest. It was an amazing find!

An alligator with normal coloration is able to camouflage itself in Louisiana's marshy environment.

Team members were quick to remove the rare baby reptiles, as alligator babies are easy targets for hungry predators. White alligator hatchlings- without the camouflaging coloration of the normal gator-would have been spotted quickly by big birds flying overhead and plucked away.

There is no known discovery of white alligators in recorded history, although Eastern mythology holds the white beasts to be symbols of extraordinary good luck. Their discovery certainly was good luck, for instead of ending up as a meal for a hungry bald eagle, the alligators lead famous lives now -- sunning themselves in nicely landscaped ponds and basking in the approval of the hundreds of tourists who see them daily at the Aquarium of the Americas and the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. LL&E has provided a few of the white alligators to the Audubon Institute so that Louisianians and their guests can get to know the curious creatures a little better.

No one knows, for certain, why these alligators were born white. In fact they are not, as most people assume, albinos, and their eyes are brilliantly blue. Many people who see the white alligators for the first time compare the look of their hide to "white chocolate."

One theory is that many white alligators may have been born throughout the centuries but were too vulnerable to enemies within their environment. Thus, those alligators with the protective coloration were the only survivors.

The rest of the story