Alligators differ from other members of the crocodile family in having a wider snout their eyes are more dorsal (at the top of the head). Large alligators' eyes glow red; small alligators' eyes glow green. Alligators can be spotted in the dark by this sign.
Range:Florida, United States of America [VIEW MAP]
Habitat:Alligators live mostly in fresh brackish water, in marshes, canals, and lakes
General Information:
Alligators are large, semi-aquatic, carnivorous reptiles with four paws and a huge tail that is half the length of an animal, helps them move around in water used to make water pools in the dry seasons (alligator holes), used as weapons, and stores fat that helps them overwinter. Alligators are cold-blooded; their bodies do not produce heat. They get it by basking in the sun.
Physical features and characteristics:
There are two types of alligators: the American alligator, which grows to 19 feet (3.5 m) long and up to 600 pounds (270 kg), and the Chinese alligator, which grows to 6 feet (1.8 m) long.
Having four paws, they swim very well, mainly using their tail to move through the water and, to a lesser extent, using their webbed feet.
Alligators are stooping (as are many reptiles); they walk in a flat-footed manner. On land, they can move relatively quickly, but only in short bursts. Different species have different speeds, which also depends on the type of movement (crawling, paddling, swimming). Alligators are the fastest crocodiles on earth, they can move at speeds of up to 17 km per hour. They swim at a speed of about 10 km per hour. Crawling, the animal can travel 5-10 km per hour.
Lifestyle and reproduction:
Alligators are usually solitary animals. They live 30 to 35 years in the wild, and up to 50 years in captivity. These animals have a wide range of calls and vocalizations. These calls are used in mating, defining territory, and distress calls (babies grunt to alert their mother when in danger), etc.
Alligators breed in the spring from April to May. One month after noisy mating and bonding rituals, the female lays up to 50 eggs in a large (three feet high and six feet wide) nest, which is made of dirt, leaves, and twigs on non-wet ground. Alligators do not incubate their eggs so as not to crush them. The vegetation that rots in the nest keeps the future babies warm.
The temperature in the nest determines the sex of the chicks. If the eggs were incubated at 93 degrees Fahrenheit (34 degrees Celsius), the embryo develops as a male; temperatures below 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) result in a female embryo. The would-be mother alligator guards the nest from predators. The eggs hatch after 2 months, producing chicks about 6 inches long (15 cm). A group of babies (called a pod) are protected by the female for a year.
Habitat:
Alligators live mostly in fresh brackish water, in marshes, canals, and lakes. The American alligator is found only in the southeastern United States, the Chinese alligator is found in the lower basin of the Yangtze River that flows in China.
Diet:
Alligators are awake and feed mostly at night. Younger ones eat insects, shrimp, snails, fish, tadpoles, and frogs. Adults eat fish, birds, turtles, reptiles, and mammals. They swallow their prey whole. Their conical teeth are used to catch their prey without tearing it to pieces. The animal has about 80 teeth; a lost tooth recovers quickly.
