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Alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis )
Related Topics:
reptile
Chinese alligator
American alligator
... (Show more)
Comparison of an alligator and a true crocodile.
Can You Tell An Alligator From A Crocodile? Quiz
Alligators and crocodiles share a number of features, including long snouts, powerful tails, short legs, and bony-plated backs. But can you tell these two large reptiles apart? Find out with this quiz.
The Chinese alligator ( Alligator sinensis ) is found in China's Yangtze River region.
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alligator , (genus Alligator ), either of two crocodilians related to the tropical American caimans (family Alligatoridae). Alligators, like other crocodilians, are large animals with powerful tails that are used both in defense and in swimming . Their eyes, ears , and nostrils are placed on top of their long head and project slightly above the water when the reptiles float at the surface, as they often do. Alligators can be differentiated from true crocodiles by the form of their jaw and teeth. Alligators possess a broad U-shaped snout and have an “overbite”; that is, all the teeth of the lower jaw fit within (are lingual to) the teeth of the upper jaw. The large fourth tooth on each side of the alligator’s lower jaw fits into a socket in the upper jaw. Usually, no lower teeth are visible when the mouth is closed. In contrast, true crocodiles have a narrow V-shaped snout, and the large fourth tooth on each side of the lower jaw projects outside the snout when the mouth is closed. Alligators are carnivorous and live along the edges of permanent bodies of water, such as lakes , swamps , and rivers . They commonly dig burrows in which they rest and avoid weather extremes. The average life span of alligators is about 50 years in the wild. However, there have been reports of some specimens living beyond 70 years of age in captivity.
The American alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis ), the larger of the two species , is found in the southeastern United States . It is black with yellow banding when young and is generally brownish when adult. The maximum length is about 5.8 metres (19 feet), but it more typically ranges from about 1.8 to 3.7 metres (6 to 12 feet). The American alligator has been hunted for its hide, and its young have been sold in large numbers as pets . It disappeared from many areas where it was once abundant and was later given legal protection from hunters until it made an excellent comeback and limited hunting seasons were again established. The adult alligator feeds mainly on fishes , small mammals , and birds but may sometimes take prey as large as deer or cattle . Members of both sexes hiss, and the males also give loud roars that carry over considerable distances. During the breeding season, the female builds a mound nest of detritus and vegetation in which she buries about 20 to 70 hard-shelled eggs . She guards the eggs and may at this time be dangerous. Members of this species usually avoid humans .
The Chinese alligator ( A. sinensis ) is a much smaller, little-known reptile found in the Yangtze River region of China . It is similar to the larger form but attains a maximum length of about 2.1 metres (7 feet)—although usually growing to 1.5 metres—and is blackish with faint yellowish markings. Fewer than 100 Chinese alligators are thought to remain, and thus the species is considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
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Alligator in the Florida Everglades
This large American Alligator is 13 ft long, and weighs 800 pounds!
Alligator sunning itself on a warm rock
American Alligator at the water's edge
Young Alligator sunning on a log, photographed at the Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge, MS
Alligator Sunning on some dead branches
Alligator in the Florida Everglades
This large American Alligator is 13 ft long, and weighs 800 pounds!
Animals.NET aim to promote interest in nature and animals among children, as well as raise their awareness in conservation and environmental protection. All photos used are royalty-free, and credits are included in the Alt tag of each image.
An Alligator, also known simply as a “gator,” is a large reptile in the taxonomic genus Alligator . The only living species in the genus are the Chinese and the American Alligators .
They are members of the taxonomic order Crocodilia, along with crocodiles , gharials , and caimans . Their closest relatives, the caimans , share the Alligatoridae family, but researchers do not consider them “true Alligators.” Read on to learn about the Alligator .
Compared to the rest of the crocodilians, these reptiles have broad snouts. Crocodiles have v-shaped snouts, while both species of Alligators have u-shaped snouts. They also have thick bodies, short limbs, and heavily armored scales.
The American species measures about 12 – 13 ft. long on average, and typically weighs about 300 lbs. The largest recorded individual measured over 19 ft. long. Conversely, the Chinese species reaches about 5 – 6 ft. long and weighs around 90 lbs.
These reptiles face incredibly volatile stigma. Learn more about how these two species behave, below.
Even though the two species live on opposite ends of the world, they live in very similar habitats. Both inhabit primarily freshwater habitats. However, the American species also lives in brackish water, which is a mixture of fresh and saltwater.
Some of their favorite ecosystems include swamps, wetlands , marshes, lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, and more. Occasionally, they show up in swimming pools and man-made fish ponds.
Each species has its own specific distribution. The American species lives throughout the coasts of the southeastern United States. Its range spreads from eastern Texas throughout Florida, and north to North Carolina.
The Chinese species lives in China. It has an extremely restricted range, and lives only in a tiny portion of eastern China. Currently, researchers estimate that it only exists in six counties in China.
Like all crocodilians, these reptiles are carnivores. This means that they only eat meat. They are incredibly opportunistic, preying upon virtually anything that they can subdue. Bigger individuals can kill and eat larger prey.
Some of the different types of prey that they take include fish, insects, snakes , lizards , birds, raccoons , feral pigs, turtles , and more.
Historically, humans have drastically overutilized these reptiles for their meat and skin. Habitat destruction also poses a danger to these reptiles. While the American species has made a booming recovery, the Chinese species has not.
The IUCN lists the American species as Least Concern , and the Chinese species as Critically Endangered .
Humans have not domesticated these animals in any way.
No, gators definitely do not make good pets. Even young animals grow quite rapidly, and adults reach sizes much too substantial for the average person to easily house. Additionally, adults are more than capable of killing a person, and only trained professionals should handle them.
People keep these large reptiles in both zoos and farms. For the Chinese species in particular, captive breeding programs allow researchers to maintain a population to reintroduce into the wild. Animals in zoos also help educate the public about the misconceptions associated with these reptiles.
In human care, these reptiles need large enclosures with pools deep enough for them to submerge themselves. Zookeepers feed them a variety of different foods, from fish or chicken to rabbits .
Both species live primarily nocturnal lives, hunting mostly at sunset and throughout the night. Younger animals are more social than adults. They congregate in large numbers to bask in the sun or feed on prolific food sources.
Particularly as the breeding season arrives, they become more territorial in nature. During the winter, both species remain dormant in underground burrows to avoid the cold.
After mating, the female builds a nest out of masses of vegetation. The plant matter slowly decomposes, or decays. As it does so, the process releases heat, which warms the incubating eggs. The average clutch contains about 40 eggs.
After around 2 months, the eggs begin to hatch. When they hatch, the young chirp from within the nest and the mother carefully digs them out. She carries them to the water in her jaws, and guards them until they are about a year old.
American Alligator: Species Profile
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The American alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis ) ranges throughout the southeastern United States, and alligators within Everglades National Park exist at the southern extreme of their range. Alligators primarily inhabit freshwater swamps and marshes and can also be found in rivers, lakes, and smaller bodies of water. They can tolerate a reasonable degree of salinity for short periods of time and are occasionally found in brackish water around mangrove swamps even though they lack the salt-secreting glands present in crocodiles. Dens are burrowed out and used for shelter and aestivation when winter temperatures fall or more commonly in the Everglades, when conditions are very dry. Even outside their dens they can tolerate limited periods of freezing conditions. During the winter dry season they modify their habitat by excavating “alligator holes,” which also provide a refuge for other animals during dry periods.
Adult male alligators occasionally reach 13 to 15 feet in length. Maximum length for females is approximately 10 feet. Both sexes tend to be smaller in South Florida. The snout of an alligator is characteristically broad, although the shape can vary slightly among populations and individuals. The bright yellow cross-bands that juvenile alligators sport against a black background provide effective camouflage. The yellow banding fades away as the juveniles mature. Juveniles eat a wide variety of small invertebrates, particularly insects, as well as small fish and frogs. The adult diet typically consists of fish, turtles, small mammals, birds, and reptiles, including small alligators. Feeding activity is governed by water temperature, and foraging ceases if the temperature drops below 68 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit. The color of adult alligators varies with habitat and can be olive, brown, gray, or nearly black, with a creamy underside. Algae-laden waters produce greener skin, while tannic acid from overhanging trees can produce darker skin.
Females reach sexual maturity at approximately 6 feet in length. Springtime courtship rituals are complex and can last for several hours. Female alligators choose nest sites above the water level to reduce the chance of flooding, which would kill most eggs within 12 hours of submergence. Completed nests are about 3.5 feet high and twice as wide. Females remain near the nest during the incubation period, which averages 58 to 63 days. When danger threatens, she will rapidly return to the nest to protect her eggs. The temperature at which the eggs develop determines the sex of the hatchling. Eggs that incubate at temperatures ranging from 90 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit hatch as males, while those that incubate from 82 to 86 degrees hatch as females. Intermediate temperature ranges yield a mix of both male and female hatchlings.
The female opens the nest in response to calls from the hatchlings when the eggs are ready to hatch. She carries 8 to 10 hatchlings at a time in her mouth down to the water, pulling her tongue down to make a pouch in which they sit. Upon arrival in the water, she opens her jaws and shakes her head gently from side to side, encouraging the hatchlings to swim out. The juveniles aggregate in pods that may include hatchlings from other nests and remain close to the mother typically as long as one year, but sometimes for two or even three years. This social system affords protection during their most vulnerable life stage from predators such as raccoons, large fish, birds, and even other alligators –mostly large, dominant males. The females respond swiftly to calls from hatchlings facing impending danger. Hatchlings grow rapidly, especially during their first four years, sometimes averaging more than 1 foot of growth for each year of life.
Alligators are an important part of the Everglades ecosystem and are considered a keystone species of the park. The nesting activity of female alligators is important for the creation of peat. Several turtle species, such as the Florida red-bellied turtle (Chrysemys nelsoni), incubate their eggs inside both active and old/abandoned alligator nests. Water remains in alligator holes throughout the year except during severe drought conditions. As the dry season approaches and water dries up from other areas within the Everglades, the retained water causes alligator holes to become a refuge for a variety of wildlife. Although these animals become easy prey for alligators and other predators such as wading birds, the value of the refuge outweighs the risk. Human conflicts with alligators are rare and generally not serious, but incidents do occur and have been reported. Education and awareness is the best long-term way to avoid future incidents. Most alligator attacks on humans are attributed to the illegal feeding of alligators, which makes them bolder, less wary of humans, and more likely to attack instead of flee. It is illegal to feed or provoke alligators as well as all other wildlife.
Dwindling populations of alligators were the result of hunting and loss of habitat, and the American alligator was listed as an endangered species in 1967 under a law that preceded the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The number of alligators began to rebound when alligator farms opened and hunting was outlawed, easing the pressure on wild populations. However, even af
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