Meet Mr. Stubbs.
Meet Mr. Stubbs.
He's an alligator in Scottsdale, Arizona, who just got a new prosthetic tail, thanks to a team of researchers and doctors.
It's believed that Mr. Stubbs lost his tail to another gator, and has been at a disadvantage when it comes to swimming and catching prey.
"If he is in a pen with other alligators he can't move as quickly, so they get to the food first," Dr. Justin Georgi, associate professor at Midwestern University, told KPHO.
"When we first got him, if the water was too deep for him to touch the bottom, he would roll over onto his back and could not right himself," Russ Johnson, president of Phoenix Herpetological Society, where Mr. Stubbs lives, said.
And food isn't the only concern: Without a tail, Mr. Stubbs could drown.
Dr. Georgi was a part of the team that helped develop the gator's new tail. So far, it's been an adjustment for Mr. Stubbs.
"After almost eight years, we need to 'unteach' him the dog paddle, so he can swim like a normal alligator," said Georgi.
For now, Mr. Stubbs continues to recover at the Phoenix Herpetological Society.
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