This is something that I have always wanted to know. Playing a tuba in B flat will make an alligator aroused. Until I knew that my life was as empty as the alligators love life. But I must admit, now that I know this it’s something that I seriously want to experiment with. Don’t you? But before I do, how do we know that a tuba played in a B flat arouses alligators? I mean, how the heck do they determine something like that? Let’s take a look at what happened.
So this experiment dates back to 1944. Instead of actively participating in the war effort in 1944, someone decided to see what sounds trigger what reactions in alligators. The experiment was called “Response of Captive Alligators to Auditory Stimulation,” and was conducted by naturalists. They found that certain sounds do get a response from gators. But after more than 60 years a newspaper decided to try and replicate the experiment to see if the results were true. What they discovered was amazing.
In 2007 the second experiment took place at Gatorland, a tourist attraction near Kissimmee, Florida. Leading the way on the tuba was the Florida Orchestra’s William Mickelsen, and one of his students. They took turns in playing different notes to see what got a reaction from the massive reptiles. When a B flat was hit it triggered a response, what I would consider a nerve wracking response at that. The B flat seemed to coax the gators towards them, just like the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Next the two intrepid tuba players ventured even closer to the jaws of death, taking their note playing down to the boardwalk. When they played the B flat on the tuba through the wood, the alligators went wild, and even repeated the B flat. So how does this prove that they were aroused and not hungry at the ever so close meal? Science geeks were present.
If you have ever been around gators during mating season you would know that they are a bit like an over the top Adult star. Very noisy. It’s actually something that they are famous for. It was observed that the only ones responding to the B flat on the tuba were the mating males. Stop playing, and they stopped responding. They have even been known to respond to the sound of airboats.
So if you ever feel like a little inter species sex, and it’s legal in your state, just bring along your tuba, and you might get lucky. 😉
SOURCES
- Response of Captive Alligators to Auditory Stimulation
- Alligators in B Flat? Gatorland’s denizens roar in ecstasy
