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The American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is one of the two living species of Alligator, a genus within the family Alligatoridae. The American
Alligator is native only to the southeastern United States, where it inhabits wetlands that frequently overlap with human-populated areas. It is larger
than the other Alligator species, the Chinese Alligator.
Anatomy
Detail of an American Alligator forelimb showing the large claws and slight webbing between the toes.
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Tail is for aquatic propulsion and as weapon of defense
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The American Alligator has a large, slightly rounded body, with thick limbs, a broad head, and a very powerful tail. Males can
weigh 500 lbs to over 1000 pounds; one American Alligator allegedly reached a length of 19 feet, 2 inches
(5.8 meters),[1] which would make
it the largest recorded. 9 to 14.5 feet (3 to 4.39 meters) is a more common adult size.[2] The tail, which accounts for half of the alligator's total length, is primarily
used for aquatic propulsion. The tail can also be used as a weapon of defense when an alligator feels threatened. Alligators
travel very quickly in water, are generally slow-moving on land and can lunge short distances very quickly.
Habitat
Today, alligators are found throughout the Southeast, from
Merchants Millpond State Park in North
Carolina to Texas and south to southeastern Oklahoma.
As during the Reptile Age, alligators live in wetlands, and it is this vital habitat that
holds the key to their continued long-term survival. Alligators depend on the wetlands, and in some ways the wetlands depend on
them. As predators at the top of the food chain, they help
control the population of rodents and other animals that might overtax the marshland
vegetation.
Gator holes
An American Alligator in Amazonia in Great Yarmouth.
The alligator's greatest value to the marsh and the other animals that inhabit it are the "gator holes" that many adults
create and expand on over a period of years. An alligator uses its mouth and claws to uproot vegetation to clear out a space;
then, shoving with its body and slashing with its powerful tail, it wallows out a depression that stays full of water in the wet
season and holds water after the rains stop. During the dry season, and particularly during extended droughts, gator holes
provide vital water for fish, insects, crustaceans, snakes, turtles, birds, and other animals in addition to the alligator
itself.
Sometimes, the alligator may expand its gator hole by digging beneath an overhanging bank to create a hidden den. After
tunneling as far as 20 feet (6 m), it enlarges the end, making a chamber with a ceiling high enough above water level to
permit breathing. This is not the alligator's nest but merely a way for the reptile to survive the dry season and winters.
Diet
Alligators eat almost anything, but primarily consume fish, birds,
turtles, mammals and amphibians. Hatchlings however are restricted to smaller prey items like invertebrates. Insects and larvae,
snails, spiders and worms make-up a
big portion of a hatchling's diet. They will also eat small fish at any opportunity. As they grow,
they gradually move onto larger fish, mollusks, frogs and small mammals like rats and mice. Sub adult
alligators take a larger variety of prey; ranging from snakes and turtles to birds and moderate sized mammals like
raccoons and pets.
Once an alligator reaches adulthood, any animal living in the water or coming to water to drink is potential prey. Adult
alligators will eat razorbacks, deer, domestic animals including
cattle and sheep, and are often known to kill and eat
smaller alligators. Larger male alligators have been known to take down Florida panther
and bears, making the American alligator the apex predator throughout its distribution.
The stomachs of alligators often contain gastroliths. The function of these stones is to
grind up food in the stomach and help with digestion. This is important because gators swallow their food whole. These
gastroliths are also used in buoyancy control.
Despite the extensiveness of their shared habitat with humans, alligator attacks on humans are comparatively rare. Most
alligators fear humans due to hunting; attacks on humans are typically a result of feeding of alligators. Once a human feeds an
alligator, it expects food whenever it sees someone.
Reproduction
A juvenile American Alligator showing the distinctive yellow striping found on juveniles.
The breeding season begins in the spring. Although alligators have no vocal cords, males bellow loudly to attract mates and warn off other males during this time by sucking air
into their lungs and blowing it out in intermittent, deep-toned roars. .
The female builds a nest of vegetation, sticks, leaves, and mud in a sheltered spot in or near
the water. After she lays her 20 to 50 white, goose-egg-sized eggs, she covers them under more
vegetation, which, like mulch, heats as it decays, helping to keep the eggs warm. The temperature at which alligator eggs develop
determines their sex. Those eggs which are hatched in temperatures ranging from 90–93 °Fahrenheit (32.2–33.8 °C) turn out to be
male, while those in temperatures from 82–86 °Fahrenheit (27.7–30 °C) end up being female. Intermediate temperature ranges have
proven to yield a mix of both male and females. The female will remain near the nest throughout the 65-day incubation period, protecting the nest from intruders. When the young begin to hatch they emit a high-pitched
croaking noise, and the female quickly digs them out.
The young, which are tiny replicas of adult alligators with a series of yellow bands around their bodies, then find their way
to water. For several days they continue to live on yolk masses within their bellies.The baby spends about 5 months with the
mother before leaving her
Alligators reach breeding maturity at about 8 to 13 years of age, at which time they are about 6 to 7 feet (1.8–2.1 m)
long. From then on, growth continues at a slower rate. Old males may grow to be 18 feet (5.4 m) long and weigh up to 1,200
pounds (510 kg)during a lifespan of 30 or more years.
Attacks on people and Alligator safety
An alligator taken in Everglades National Park
Alligators are capable of killing humans, but generally fear humans enough to avoid them as prey, and are far less dangerous
than the infamous Nile crocodile and Saltwater
crocodile. Alligator bites are serious injuries due to the risk of infection. Inadequate treatment or neglect of an
alligator bite may result in an infection that causes a need for amputation of a limb. The alligator's tail itself is a fearsome
weapon capable of knocking a person down and breaking bones. Even though they rarely kill, they should be left alone. Untrained
individuals should never feed them (an illegal practice in Florida) because if an alligator associates people with food, it can
become a dangerous problem animal. Alligators are protective parents, and a very young alligator may have a mother nearby who
will protect her young by attacking anything that comes too close. They are best appreciated at a safe distance for the
protection of both persons and alligators; handling of them is best left to well-equipped and trained experts.
There were only nine fatal attacks in the U.S. throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s, but alligators killed 11 people from 2001 to
2006. In May 2006, alligators killed three Floridians in four days, two of them in the same day. One victim was a jogger whose
body was found in a canal on Florida's Atlantic coast; one was snorkeling in a recreation area near Lake George, in the central
part of the state; another was found in a canal on the state's Gulf Coast.
When in gator country, it is a safe practice to know which lakes and rivers are inhabited by alligators and avoid being in the
water with them. In many areas, signs are posted warning of their presence, but some are not. Evidence of an area being inhabited
by gators include alligator slides onshore (these are markers where the belly of the gator has slid down the bank into the water)
and large piles of muddy sticks and foliage in spring which indicate nesting sites. Pet owners should not let their dogs and cats
roam too far from home in such areas because an alligator will eat a dog or a cat if the opportunity presents itself. If one does
encounter an aggressive alligator, it is a good idea to watch the tail, as it may try to knock you down. Do not panic and never
let it take you into the water, where it will try to drown you.
Endangered species recovery
Historically, alligators were depleted from many parts of their range as a result of market hunting and loss of habitat, and
30 years ago many people believed this unique reptile would never recover. In 1967, the alligator was listed as an endangered
species (under a law that preceded the Endangered Species Act of 1973), meaning
it was considered in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its
range.
A combined effort by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
state wildlife agencies in the South, and the creation of large, commercial
alligator farms saved these unique animals. The Endangered Species Act outlawed alligator hunting, allowing the species to rebound in numbers in many areas where it had been depleted. As the alligator
began to make a comeback, states established alligator population monitoring programs and used this information to ensure
alligator numbers continued to increase. In 1987, the Fish and Wildlife Service pronounced the American alligator fully recovered
and consequently removed the animal from the list of endangered species. The Fish and Wildlife Service still regulates the legal
trade in alligator skins and products made from them.
An albino alligator; this trait is more common in captivity.
Although the American alligator is secure, some related animals — such as several species of crocodiles and caimans — are still in trouble.
Dangers in South Florida
In South Florida, alligators face ambient temperature patterns unlike
elsewhere in their range. The consistently high temperatures lead to increased metabolic
cost.
Alligators in the Everglades have reduced length to weight ratio, reduced total length,
and delayed onset of sexual maturity compared with other parts of their range. The reason for this poor condition is currently
suspected to be a combination of low food availability and sustained high temperatures.
See also
References
- ^ Everglades National Park article on the American Alligator
- ^ Crocodile Species - American Alligator
External links
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