Alligators

ALLIGATORS Va-lə-gā-ter\ al·li-ga-tor (n.) Class: Reptilia Order: Crocodylia Family: Alligatoridae Genus: Alligator Species: Alligator mississipiensis Derived from the Spanish word for lizard, EL LAGARTO LOCATED ON THE TOP OF THE HEAD, THE EYES ARE CLOSE TOGETHER TO ALLOW FOR BINOCULAR VISION. DIET: ALLIGATORS HAVE TWO SETS OF EYELIDS. Alligators stop feeding when the temperature drops BELOW 73°F. One set closes top to bottom, similar to human eyelids. The second set is transparent and closes horizontally across the eye. This is known as a nictitating membrane. UPWARD-FACING NOSTRILS LARGE ADULT ALLIGATORS CAN HOLD THEIR BREATH FOR UP TO ON TOP OF THE SNOUT ALLOW FOR BREATHING 45 MINUTES WHILE UNDERWATER. WHILE REMAINING ACTIVE. THE BITE FORCE OF A 12-FOOT, ALLIGATORS HAVE 665-POUND ALLIGATOR HAS BEEN MEASURED AT 74-80 2,125 POUNDS TEETH AT A TIME. -EQÜAL TO THE WEIGHT OF A SMALL TRUCK. SIZE: MALES FEMALES Average THE MUSCULAR TAIL ACCOUNTS FOR ALMOST HALF THE TOTAL LENGTH OF THE ANIMAL. 11.2 FT 400-500 LBS 8.2 FT 200 LBS Largest on record 19.2 FT EST. NEARLY 2,000 LBS Caught in Louisiana (1890) 10.2 FT EST. 300+ LBS Caught in Florida (1981) THE REAR FEET HAVE FOUR PARTIALLY WEBBED TOES. THE FRONT FEET HAVE FIVE TOES. POPULATION: OVER 1 MILLION IN THE UNITED STATES THE SKIN IS ARMORED WITH American alligators reside in the freshwater rivers, lakes, swamps and marshes of the southeastern United States, from North EMBEDDED BONY PLATES CALLED OSTEODERMS OR SCUTES. THESE Carolina to Texas. SHED INDIVIDUALLY, SO ALLIGATORS DO NOT MOLT LIKE OTHER REPTILES. LIFESPAN: SPECIES AGE: ALLIGATORS ARE NOT MONOGAMOUS. 35-50 OVER 150 YEARS A single male may mate with up to 10 females in his territory each year. MILLION YEARS IN THE WILD Alligators' ancestors survived the dinosaur extinction event 65 MILLION YEARS AGO. FEMALES LAV 35-50 EGGS. 80% The eggs are hard-shelled, white and about 3 inches long. of young alligators are killed by predators such as birds, raccoons, otters, snakes, large bass and larger alligators. NEST TEMPERATURE DETERMINES INCUBATION PERIOD: HATCHLINGS ARE 6 TO 8 AN ALLIGATOR BABY'S SEX. INCHES LONG WITH YELLOW 65 DAYS AND BLACK STRIPES. ABOVE 93°F Alligator Eggs ALL ARE MALE 60 DAYS 86°F Sea Turtle Eggs BELOW ALL ARE FEMALE 35 DAYS Bald Eagle Eggs Temperatures in between will produce both sexes. 21 DAYS Chicken Eggs SOURCES: SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK, TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE, SAVANNAH RIVER ECOLOGY LABORATORY AT UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY, FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, BROOKFIELD ZO0, FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION A COLLABORATION BETWEEN HISTORY.COM AND COLUMN FIVE