Gators at Mote Marine enjoy spooky enrichment on Halloween

Even the crocodilian exhibit at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium got into the spooky spirit on Halloween.

The American alligators and caimans at Mote were given jack-o-lanterns with croc chow and fish in them to get the gators enthusiastic about the strange objects. It took a while, and a fish rearranged to poke out of the eye of a jack-o-lantern at the animals, to get them in the Halloween mood.

"Every day our animals get some form of enrichment," spokeswoman Stephanie Kettle said. "A lot of animals are getting Halloween-themed enrichment today."

In the nearby otter environment, pumpkins and pipe skeletons decorated the otters' playground. 

Though the American alligators and caimans in the exhibit are target trained, meaning they know to come to their targets for food, the pumpkins don't serve as today's targets. Each animal has a target that is specific to them, Kettle said. For Thanksgiving, there won't be turkeys, but more holiday-themed enrichment could be on the way for Mote's animals.