F and above are mostly females. Alligator nests are sometimes used by other reptiles for their own egg deposition and incubation. Toward the end of August, the young alligators begin to make high-pitched noises from inside of the egg.
This lets the mother know that it is time to remove the nesting material. When the baby alligator hatches it measures about 6 to 8 inches 15 to 20 centimeters.
Newly hatched alligators live in small groups, called "pods. Females aggressively defend their young during these first few years. Crocodilians are one of the only orders of reptiles that offer maternal care to their young. The juveniles grow about a foot a year. One interesting aspect of alligator biology is that even though they do not hibernate, they undergo periods of dormancy when the weather becomes cold.
They excavate a depression called a "gator hole" along a waterway to be used when the seasonal temperature falls. In areas where the water level fluctuates, alligators dig themselves into hollows in the mud, which fill with water. These tunnels can be as long as 65 feet 20 m and provide protection during extreme hot or cold weather.
Many other animals also use these burrows after their builder abandons them. American alligators live about 50 years in the wild. After they are 4 feet long, alligators are safe from predators except humans and occasionally other alligators. Once on the verge of extinction, the American alligator has made a remarkable recovery due to strict conservation measures and extensive research.
It is no longer endangered except in scattered areas of its range. However, the federal government lists it as threatened because it is very similar in appearance to the American crocodile. Because the American crocodile is endangered, the government does not want hunters to confuse the two different types of animals.
Hunting is allowed in some states but it is strictly controlled. The greatest threat is currently destruction of habitat; this includes water management systems and increased levels of mercury and dioxins in the water. Since alligators can become large and will feed on almost anything, they pose a mild threat to humans.
Amniota: pictures Amniota: specimens Amniota: sounds Class Reptilia turtles, snakes, lizards, and relatives. Reptilia: information 1 Reptilia: pictures Reptilia: specimens Reptilia: sounds Order Crocodylia. Crocodylia: information 1 Crocodylia: pictures Crocodylia: specimens 7. Family Crocodylidae. Crocodylidae: pictures Crocodylidae: specimens 7. Genus Alligator. Alligator: pictures Species Alligator mississippiensis Alligator, Gator, American alligator, Florida alligator, Mississippi alligator, Louisiana alligator.
Alligator mississippiensis: information 1 Alligator mississippiensis: pictures Alligator sinensis: information 1 Alligator sinensis: pictures Read more Females and juveniles occasionally use seasonal wetlands, such as Carolina Bays. Although they are primarily freshwater animals, alligators will also venture into brackish salt water. Juveniles also bask, but often in more protected areas with more dense vegetation. When ponds begin to freeze, alligators will stick their snouts above water.
The snout is frozen in place, but the animal can still breathe. Reproduction: Alligators are active year-round, but they are most active in the warmer months in Georgia and South Carolina. With the start of their breeding season in May, males "bellow " to females and other males in the area. By June, pairs have mated, and females begin building mound nests out of marsh reeds or other vegetation. This rotting vegetation helps warm the eggs during incubation.
Sometime during late June to mid-July, females lay between 20 and 60 eggs. The hard-shelled, white eggs are about 3 inches long and resemble goose eggs. The mother defends the nest against predators throughout the incubation period, approximately 65 days. When the eggs are ready to hatch, the mother alligator digs into the nest mound, opens any eggs that have not hatched, and carries the young down to the water.
Females sometimes aggressively defend their young for more than a year. Mother alligators that are killed or removed from the area cannot defend their nests or young, and the hatchlings often are doomed.
Their range extends down to southern Florida and includes the Everglades. These reptiles are usually found in slow-moving freshwater rivers, but also inhabit swamps, marshes, and lakes. American alligators are carnivores. They eat fish , invertebrates , frogs, birds , and mammals. American alligators hunt predominantly at night.
If large prey is captured, they drag it underwater, where it is drowned and devoured. Additionally, American alligators have an adaptation in throat called a glottis. This allows them to capture prey completely submerged in water. Alligators have a variety of means of locomotion. They can swim, walk, run, and even crawl. Unlike most reptiles, alligators walk with their legs directly beneath them, as opposed to diagonal.
This allows them to lift their tails off of the ground while they move. As a cold-blooded reptile, alligators undergo dormancy when the weather becomes cold. They are known to dig tunnels 65 feet 20 meters long to protect themselves from extreme heat and cold.
American alligators usually start reproducing at 10 to 12 years old. They breed in shallow water, and after mating, the female begins building a nest out of nearby vegetation. A female can lay up to 90 eggs in her nest, which she then covers with more vegetation.
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