Are you all set?
To help get these alligators in the mood
we've invited some musicians along from the Florida Orchestra.
THEY WARM UP
As our brass section warms up
no-one seems at all interested in joining in.
As much as alligators love to sing, when it comes down to it,
there is actually only one note that they'll respond to.
It's not until our tuba players hit B-flat that the concert
finally kicks off.
The most extraordinary set of events is unfolding.
ALLIGATORS BELLOW
And they're all joining in now.
What you're seeing is the big males doing it, then the younger
males start doing it because the big males are doing it.
It's a virtual...
Chorus. ..chorus of bellowing.
Bellowing not only advertises your territory,
it also let everyone know how big you are.
It's thought that the alligators are responding
because they think there's another large male in the area.
TUBAS PLAY ALLIGATORS ROAR
In the competitive world of alligator mating, size matters.
The biggest males seem to have it made.
Not only can you see off the competition
but the beefier you are, the more female attention you get.
But the biggest alligators have another remarkable advantage.
Only they can produce what is known as the water dance.
Their bellows are so low and powerful
they cause vibrations that make the water bounce off their backs.
It's another way of getting you noticed.
If you're standing in the water when that happens, your skeleton
turns into a tuning fork, it's the most amazing experience.
Have you been in the water?
I've been in the water when they do it, up to my knees.
You've been in the water when alligators are bellowing like that?
Yes, yes. Good grief. It's an amazing experience,
and the funny part is - the first thing in your head is,
there's a huge, huge guy in this area and I have to get out.
A large male is exactly what these females are looking for and
if they hear an impressive song, they may bellow back.
ALLIGATOR BELLOWS
Scientists think it's their way of letting the males know
they are ready to mate.
I love the sound!
How did we know that that particular note, the B-flat,
was going to work so well?
The story goes, Leonard Bernstein is practising the Philharmonic.
They can't practice in Carnegie Hall because it's being refurbished
so they go to the Natural History Museum.
They play the symphony,
they hit certain notes and they realise most notes don't do it,
but when they hit B-flat, all of a sudden the gators start bellowing.
So, at the time, they had alligators at the Natural History Museum?
They actually had live animals at the Natural History Museum.
Today, of course, we go
and they're just all stuffed animals or skeletons.
The interesting part today is that we know that you can go out
here and play all different kinds of notes but it's only
when you hit those very low notes, where you send out that
low-frequency vibration, that's the note that these guys respond to.
That's the note!