|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
|
| COMMON
NAME: |
American
alligator |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Reptilia |
| ORDER: |
Crocodylia |
| FAMILY: |
Alligatoridae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Alligator (derived from the Spanish el
lagarto - the lizard) mississippiensis
(belonging to the Mississippi River) |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| DESCRIPTION: |
The American alligator has a large lizard-like
body with four short legs and a long muscular
tail. A gator's hide is rough and scaled. Young
alligators are black with bright yellow blotches
and stripes. Adults are a uniform dark color.
|
| Alligators
and crocodiles are similar in appearance, but exhibit
a number of differences. Alligators are dark colored
with a broad, rounded snout and are usually found
in fresh water. Crocodiles are grayish-green and
prefer coastal, brackish, and salt-water habitats.
They have a narrow, tapered, triangular snout. Also,
the fourth tooth on either side of the lower jaw
of an alligator fits into an internal socket in
the upper jaw so that these teeth are hidden when
the mouth is closed. In a crocodile, the fourth
tooth is always exposed. |
|
| SIZE: |
The largest recorded specimen is attributed to a
Louisiana specimen measured at 576 cm (19 ft 2 in)
- though some sources cite the measurement as 6
m (19.8 ft). It should be noted, however, that this
figure is unsubstantiated and, as such, held in
question. |
| MALE |
Adult males typically reach lengths of 4-4.5 m (13.1-14.8
ft.) |
| FEMALE |
Females are smaller, growing to 3 m (9.8 ft.) |
|
| WEIGHT: |
|
| MALE |
Adult males weigh between 180-228 kg (400-500 lb.);
the largest males may attain weights in excess of
454 kg (1000 lbs.) |
|
| DIET: |
Feeds on fishes, turtles, mammals, snakes, birds,
and even other alligators (under certain conditions);
also will eat carrion. |
|
| INCUBATION: |
60-65 days; The temperature of the nest determines
the sex of the young. If the nest is below 30 degrees
Celsius (86°F) most hatchlings are female. If
the nest is above 34 degrees Celsius (93°F)
most hatchlings are male. Nest temperatures between
30-34 degrees Celsius will produce similar numbers
of both sexes. |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
20-50
eggs |
|
| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Reached at about 1.8 m (6 ft.) in both male and
female (about 10-12 years) |
|
| LIFE
SPAN: |
Averages 30-35 years in the wild; up to 50 years
or more in captivity |
|
| RANGE: |
Found within the southeastern United States; from
Texas to Florida and north coastal plains of Georgia,
North and South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Arkansas, and Oklahoma |
|
| HABITAT: |
Found in both natural and man-made freshwater lakes,
ponds, rivers, and wetland areas |
|
| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Estimated
at over 1,000,000 |
|
| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Low Risk, Least Concern |
| CITES |
Appendix II |
| USFWS |
Threatened (primarily due to the similarity in appearance
to the endangered American crocodile); alligators
were previously classified as endangered; they are
one of the few animals to be downgraded from endangered
to threatened (the improvement in their numbers
was due to intensive conservation efforts) |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| 1. |
The name alligator was derived from the Spanish
words el lagarto, meaning "the lizard,"
which is what Spanish explorers called these creatures.
The American alligator is one of just two species
of true alligators - the other is the Chinese
alligator.
|
|
|
| 2. |
Alligators are one animal that has changed very
little since the prehistoric days. When dinosaurs
became extinct, these modern day contemporaries
continued to prosper. |
|
|
| 3. |
The alligator became the official state reptile
of Florida in 1987. It is also the mascot of University
of Florida at Gainesville. |
|
|
| 4. |
Communicating territory in the water is often difficult,
but many crocodilians are quite adept at it. Most
species use a headslap or jawclap above or beneath
the water. A crocodilian performs a headslap by
raising its head and slamming it against the surface
of the water. Jawclaps are when the reptile opens
its jaw in a biting motion at the surface of the
water, then quickly closes it. The result is a loud
pop and splash. |
|
|
| 5. |
Unlike other reptiles, female alligators will
protect young for up to two years after hatching.
The first two years are the most critical in the
life of an alligator. Eighty percent or more may
fall victim to wading birds, raccoons, bobcats,
otters, snakes, large bass and even larger alligators.
Once an alligator exceeds four feet, it is relatively
safe from predators, but may still be vulnerable
to cannibalism.
|
|
|
| 6. |
There
are approximately 80 teeth in their mouth at one
time. When the teeth wear down they are replaced.
Consequently, an alligator can go through 2,000-3,000
teeth in a lifetime. |
|
|
| 7. |
There
are two true species of alligators: American and
Chinese. The Chinese gator is smaller than its American
cousin - only growing to 2 meters (7 ft.) in length.
There are also fewer than 1,000 Chinese alligators
left in China's lower Yangtze River Valley. |
|
|
| 8. |
Alligators
are hunted for their meat and skin. As early as
the 1800s, alligator skins were sold in the Miami
area for $7 each. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Alligators construct "gator holes" with
their large sweeping tails that retain water during
periods of drought. These holes provide water
and foraging space for many other species such
as wading birds. In turn alligators may forage
on the species attracted to the "hole".
Other species, like the red-bellied slider, use
alligator nests for their own egg deposition.
Paths used by alligators in sawgrass widen to
form creeks, which in turn help to flood marshes
during rainy seasons.
Because of legal protection, alligators are no
longer endangered. They have made a remarkable
comeback but are still classified as threatened
due to similarity of appearance to crocodiles.
This helps insure its continued protection and
that of the endangered American crocodile.
Humans can learn to live near alligators by taking
wise precautions such as: not feeding them, harassing
them, or approaching a nest or group of baby gators.
Most alligator attacks are results of a gator
that has lost its fear of man because it has been
hand fed.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Brook Van Meter, Victoria. Florida's Alligators
and Crocodiles. Miami: Florida Power and Light
Co., 1987. |
|
|
Conant, Roger and Joseph T. Collins. Reptiles
and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America.
Boston. Houghton Mifflin Co.1991.
|
|
|
Haliday, T. and K. Adler, eds. Encyclopedia
of Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Facts
on File, Inc., 1987.
|
|
| Levy,
Charles. Endangered Species: Crocodiles and Alligators.
New Jersey: Chartwell Books, 1991. |
|
| Ross,
C., ed. Crocodiles and Alligators. New York:
Facts on File, Inc. 1989. |
|
| Steel,
Rodney. Crocodiles. Great Britain: Christopher
Helm Ltd., 1989. |
|
| http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/cnhc/cbd.html |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
