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Gators are extremely intelligent. The "sprawl" is a walk using four legs with the belly touching the ground. There is no definitive lifespan for alligators, 50 years is common in the wild and the oldest living alligator in captivity is over 80 years old. Alligators are apex predators. It’s estimated over 5 million alligators are living in the southeastern United States, with more than 20% of the total population living in the U.S. State of Florida. As of 2018, between 68 and 86 mature individuals lived in the wild, with a stable population trend. Female hatchlings weigh more than male hatchlings. Alligators readily tolerate other individuals of comparable size. Fact 2 An alligator can weigh over 1,000 lbs and males grow to an average of 13 feet length while females reach about 10 feet. You can set your browser not to accept cookies and the above websites tell you how to remove cookies from your browser. Alligators are hunted and raised commercially for skin and meat. Female alligators can reach an average length of 8 feet. The young hatch in September using an egg tooth and assistance from their mother. It is a large reptile with a fearsome set of teeth. Alligators can be differentiated from true crocodiles by the form of their jaw and teeth. Anything in-between can product both males and females. Alligator Interesting Facts and Features. They live in freshwater wetlands in the southeastern United States. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our. Alligators in captivity can live long lives. Alligators are carnivores and will eat invertebrates, aquatic animals, other reptiles, birds and all sizes of mammals. Juvenile alligators have orange, yellow, or white marks that fade as they reach maturity. However, they can take much larger prey. Alligator hatchlings have white or yellow marks. As big and ferocious as the female alligator may look, she is a gentle mother. An alligator's teeth are hidden when its mouth is closed, while a crocodile still has a toothy grin. Alligators can be trained, but they do not make good pets because they grow very quickly, escape enclosures, and can be unpredictably aggressive. Male alligators can reach an average weight of 790 pounds. The temperature of the nest determines offspring sex. The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is the largest reptile in North America. Alligators are large reptiles that are members of the Alligatoridae family. The American alligator is Alligator mississippiensis, while the Chinese alligator is Alligator sinensis. Copyright © 2020 Facts Just for Kids. Chinese alligators are protected, plus captive individuals may be successfully reintroduced into the wild. A mother alligator makes a nest on shore, where she lays her eggs. In fact, the teeth are one way to tell an alligator from a crocodile. Estimates place average lifespan between 35 and 50 years. If they reach adulthood size there isn’t anything that can hunt them, except other alligator’s and humans. In the spring, male alligators bellow, emit blasts of infrasound, and head-slap water to attract mates. While large males and females tend to be solitary within a territory, smaller alligators form highly social groups. One captive specimen is at least 80 years old. They’ll have 70 to 80 teeth in their jaw at any given time and go through 2,000+ teeth in an entire lifetime. In fact, the teeth are one way to tell an alligator from a crocodile. Alligators can walk on their two legs, but only for short distances. American alligators are much larger than Chinese alligators. Alligators range in color from brown to olive green to black with white bellies. The IUCN classifies the conservation status of the American alligator as "least concern." There are two living species of alligators, one is A. mississippiensis and the other is A. sinensis. Alligators are excellent swimmers, plus they use three modes of locomotion on land. The name alligator comes from the Spanish el lagarto, which means "the lizard." During a death roll, the gator bites off chunks until the target is subdued. A nice close-up photo of the American alligator. 16 Alligator Facts for Kids. Alligators are large reptiles that are members of the Alligatoridae family. The "high walk" is on four limbs with the belly above the ground. It occurs in freshwater and brackish wetlands in Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, East Texas, and southern Arkansas and Oklahoma. A photo of the head of an American alligator. The name "alligator" means "the lizard" and comes from the Spanish word "el lagarto". They are ambush predators that prefer to eat prey that may be consumed in one bite, such as fish, turtles, mollusks, small mammals, and other reptiles (including smaller alligators). They have been known to use tools and find their way home from a distance of 30 miles. The American alligator is a rare success story of an endangered animal not only saved from extinction but now thriving. Larger prey are grabbed and spun around in the water in what is called a "death roll." It is unknown exactly how long alligators live in the wild. Chinese alligators average 7 feet long and 100 pounds. An alligator can weigh as much as half a ton (1,000 pounds), but an average male weighs between 500 and 600 pounds (227 to 272 kilograms).

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