Alligator

Alligator is the name for two kinds of reptiles related to crocodiles. The American alligator lives in waters and lowlands of the southeastern United States. The Chinese alligator inhabits the lower Yangtze River Valley in China. Alligators and crocodiles belong to a group of reptiles known as crocodilians. This group also includes caimans and gavials. Caimans live in Central America and South America, and people frequently refer to them as alligators.

Body.

Alligators resemble lizards in their shape, but their bodies and tails are thicker than those of most lizards. Alligators’ jaws are set with many sharp teeth. Their eyes stick up above their skulls so that alligators can see above the water while their bodies are beneath it. They use their short legs for walking, and they can run quickly for short distances. Alligators swim by moving their tails from side to side.

The tough skin on an alligator’s back is ridged with dozens of small bones called osteoderms. The skin lower on the body is smooth. People have used the smooth alligator skin to make leather for handbags, shoes, and other products. A young American alligator has yellow marks across its body, but these fade after a time. When grown, the American alligator is dull gray and dark olive in color.

Alligators in the past grew to be 18 feet (5.5 meters) long or longer. Today, few can be found that have reached even a length of 12 feet (3.7 meters). Male alligators from 11 to 12 feet (3.4 to 3.7 meters) long weigh from 450 to 550 pounds (204 to 249 kilograms). Females seldom measure more than 9 feet (2.7 meters) long or weigh over 160 pounds (73 kilograms).

Habits.

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Alligator hiss The female alligator makes her nest of rotting leaves and other plant materials, which she forms into a pile about 3 feet (0.9 meter) high and 7 feet (2.1 meters) across. She lays 20 to 60 eggs in the center of the pile, where the nest is moist. The eggs are white, hard-shelled, and slightly larger than hens’ eggs. The young emerge from the eggs after about nine weeks.

Alligators provide more care for their young than do most reptiles. After laying eggs, the female stays near the nest, guarding the eggs against predators. When the young hatch, they give high-pitched yelps, and the mother comes to scratch open the nest and free them. The mother alligator protects her young for a year or more.

When first hatched, young alligators measure about 9 inches (23 centimeters) long. During the first six years of their lives, both males and females grow about 1 foot (30 centimeters) in length each year. After this time, the females grow more slowly. But the males continue to grow at the same rate for several years more. Alligators probably live 50 to 60 years.

In winter, alligators remain resting underwater, bury themselves in mud, or go into deep holes that they have made with their bodies. These holes are often called ‘gator holes. During droughts, ‘gator holes may provide the only refuge for aquatic animals. When rains return, the fish, frogs, turtles, and other animals that have survived in ‘gator holes repopulate the swamps and marshy lakes.

Alligators eat many kinds of small animals that live in or near the water, including birds, fish, frogs, small mammals, snakes, and turtles. Pits along the sides of an alligator’s jaws act as sense organs, helping the animal detect movements of its prey in water. Large male alligators sometimes attack dogs, pigs, or even cattle. They drag these animals underwater to drown them and then tear them to pieces. Alligators tear their prey apart by grabbing hold of a part of the animal with their jaws. They then spin the prey’s body until the held part twists off.

Alligators and crocodiles.

Alligators are often mistaken for crocodiles but are different from them in some ways. The fourth tooth of the alligator’s lower jaw fits into a pocket of the upper jaw. The same tooth in the crocodile fits into a groove in the side of the upper jaw, making it visible when the animal’s mouth is closed. Also, the snout of an alligator is broader than that of a crocodile.

Where alligators live.

Alligators were once common in lakes, swamps, and rivers along the Gulf of Mexico and on the Atlantic Coast as far north as North Carolina. They also occurred far up the Mississippi River. But so many alligators were killed for their hides or for food and sport that they became scarce.

In 1967, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service classified the alligator as an endangered species. This designation gave the animal almost complete protection. But by 1977, alligator populations had increased so much in Florida and other southern coastal regions that the animals were reclassified as threatened. By 1987, the agency had declared the species to be recovered throughout its range.