![]() In the wild, alligators are expected to live from 35 to 50 years. However, they have made such a strong comeback that they now allow "controlled" hunting. Fish and Wildlife Service declared alligators an endangered species. Sometimes alligators are blamed for the attacks by their more aggressive cousin, the crocodile. That is why it is illegal in Florida to feed alligators in the wild. ![]() Alligators that become familiar with humans can be dangerous and will sometimes attack. If the prey is too large to do that, he will twist and flip and squirm until a piece comes loose enough to swallow.Īlligators will also attack small animals such as dogs and pigs. Alligators have a special valve in their throats called a glottis that prevents them from drowning! However, the alligator must come above water to swallow his prey, which he will do whole. From then on, females will grow much slower than the males.Īlligators are nocturnal feeders and prefer fish, frogs, snakes, turtles, and birds, but will also eat carrion (dead carcasses).Īn alligator will drag his prey underwater to drown it first. They are very vulnerable to snakes, wading birds, raccoons, and even other alligators! That is why the mother will remain close for a year or more, in which the babies will grow a foot a year up to six years. Then the mother will help them by uncovering the eggs and aiding in breaking the shells.īaby alligators are called hatchlings, and a group of them is called a pod. When the youngsters are ready to start hatching, they emit a high, sharp bark. The mother will guard the nest from all predators for about 60 days. Below 86 degrees Fahrenheit and it will be females between those two will be a mix of the two sexes. ![]() Over 93 degrees Fahrenheit and it will be males. The temperature of the nest will determine the sex of the eggs. She will lay a clutch of eggs (from 30 to 60) in the middle of the nest and then cover them with more mud and vegetation. After mating in the spring, she will build a large nest of mud, soft twigs, and plants above flood level. A female will mature when she is about 6 feet in length. Maturity in alligators has more to do with size than age. When teeth are lost or damaged, new ones will continue to grow. Alligators' jaws are hinged on the bottom and contain about 80 very sharp teeth. Females will reach about 9 feet and 168 pounds (73 kg). Today, male alligators will grow to about 12 feet and weigh around 550 pounds (249 kg). Adults are a dull grey or olive in color but young alligators have yellow stripes across their bodies that fade with age. ![]() Their underbellys are smooth and were popular for making handbags, shoes, etc. Alligators have rough, ridged skin on their backs with dozens of small bones called osteoderms or scuts. Their eyes stick above their skulls so they can see when their bodies are underwater. Also, their lower teeth cannot be seen when their mouths are closed.Īlligators resemble lizards in shape but with thicker bodies and tails. However, their snouts are broader, flat, and rounded on the end. Alligators are cold-blooded (ectothermic) and warm their bodies by the sun.Īlligators are often mistaken for their cousins the crocodiles and caimans. One is the Alligator sinensis (Chinese) that is only found in the Yangtze River Basin, and the other is the Alligator mississippiensis (American) that is found in the southeastern United States.Īlligators live in fresh-water swamps, lakes, and bayous that range as far west as the Rio Grande in Texas and as far north as North Carolina. Alligator Fast FactsĮven though the reptile family of crocodiles have been around since the Cretaceous period (80 million years ago), there are actually only two species of alligator. mississippiensis) and the Chinese alligator (A. This genus consists of only two species - the American alligator (A. Classification of the American AlligatorĪs classified above, the American alligator is part of the Alligator genus. © 2019, Brandon Cornett | All rights reservedĪmerican alligators are found in freshwater swamps, marshes, lakes and rivers along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina (in the north) to the most southern parts of Florida. The American Alligator - Alligator Mississippiensis
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