Long attraction

Rats in rigor mortis made for one happy albino alligator.

The S.C. Aquarium introduced its newest resident in the recently renovated Blackwater Swamp on Thursday with a late-morning feeding from his caretaker.

The public gets its first chance to see him Saturday.

The 7-foot, 100-pound reptile numbers among only 50 translucent alligators across the world.

Although an adult American alligator, a species that lives in South Carolina's Piedmont and Coastal Plain, this particular reptile lacks the pigment melanin in its eyes and skin, leaving it light-sensitive and vulnerable to predators in the wild.

Now a permanent fixture at the attraction, he lives in a dimly lit corner of the aquarium with 8,000 gallons of water and a mud bank, but no sunlight or UV rays in the artificial lighting.

The aquarium, with funding from MeadWestvaco Corp., purchased the gator from the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Fla., for $10,000 and brought him here by van more than a month ago.

Officials at the attraction said the alligator arrived without a name -- for now, they call him "Al" -- but that they plan to narrow down the options this summer, then give the public a chance to vote.

A juvenile, he hatched in a nest of white gators in Louisiana, according to aquarium spokeswoman Beth Nathan. A rancher rescued him and took him to the Florida zoo.

Nathan said no albino nests have been found since Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana in 2005.

The alligator comes one year after Penguin Planet launched with its four playful, warm-weather birds, originally scheduled to depart upon his arrival. That plan changed after the aquarium experienced an 11.5 percent jump in attendance thanks, in part, to the penguins, which will remain on exhibit until October.

Aquarium staff in January began renovating the Blackwater Swamp, adding more species to areas previously under-used. That means snakes and tortoises replaced a supply closet, and a screech owl filled an alcove lacking live animals.

The staff welcomed its newest resident with a white alligator mascot walking the halls and a refreshment table inside the Blackwater Swamp lined with the usual crackers and cheese, and white alligator cookies too.

The staff also set up a table with food for the guest of honor: dead rats, mice, fish, quail and chicks, and dog-food-like pellets called "gator chow."

Senior biologist Clint Ball said the alligator eats once a week. Pointing to the animal, he said, "Typically, reptiles do what you see: nothing."

Ball said the alligator will grow about a foot per year, but less as it ages.

Herpetologist Eric Fann stepped into the tank behind the mud bank with a long set of tongs and tapped the ground to alert the target-trained animal of food.

The alligator swam to the mud bank to retrieve a rat, holding it underwater in his mouth for minutes before chewing it apart and returning to the mud bank for his second course.

Reach Allyson Bird at 937-5594 or abird@postandcourier.com.