Did you know that there isn’t an average lifespan for the “gator”? Two of the oldest American Alligators had been in captivity until their early 80s! An average adult alligator is close to 800 lbs growing to approximately 14 feet although the largest ever recorded was just over 19 feet. Adult alligators are black to dark olive-brown with white bellies while juveniles have yellow tone stripes to aid with camouflage amongst their favored wetland reeds and grassland environments. The Alligator is only found in the southeast United States and China although the critically endangered Chinese Alligator is significantly smaller reaching up to 7 feet. Only in southern Florida will you find the American Alligator, typically solitary, cohabitating with the Crocodile. The alligators do appear to be sluggish on land, however they can shoot bursts of surprising speed. This tactic allows them to capture prey typically in size to be able to swallow in one bite. And do they ever have a “bite” capable of marring metal surfaces. Surprising though, simple duct tape can keep those jaws close. If the prey is too large to consume immediately, the Alligator will perform its “death roll” to extract bite-size pieces. If you prevent its tail from moving towards its extreme angle to execute this “death roll”, you will immobilize the ‘gator! Alligators mature around six feet in length. Mating season, typically in late spring, will be announced by its “bellowing chorus” usually just after sunrise to attract a mate. In summer, the female builds a nest of decomposition of vegetation which provides heat to incubate the eggs. This heat determines the sex of the offspring. Eggs incubated at 86 degrees F produce a “clutch” of females five to one over the males, typically incubated around 93 degrees F. The females are significantly larger at birth than the males. The mother alligator will defend the nest and protect their young for their first year. Alligators are generally timid by human presence, typically swimming or walking away. However as ‘we’ encroach into their habitat, attacks can occur. These attacks, few that they may be, are provoked as self-defense than the need for prey. If fed by humans, which is illegal, wild alligators will lose their fear of humans and associate us with their food. To distinguish the alligator from the crocodile is the differences in their jawline. The alligator’s teeth are hidden in the sockets of their upper jaw leaving only the upper teeth exposed when the mouth is shut. The crocodile’s lower teeth are exposed as their upper jaw has grooves on the outside of the upper jaw creating a “toothy grin’”. Also, alligators have a wider “u” shaped snout whereas crocodiles have a more pronounced “v” shape.
Until next month; see you later alligator and after while crocodile!