American alligator

Fast Facts

Common Name: alligator, gator

Class: Reptilia

Order: Crocodylia

Family: Crocodylidae

Genus species: Alligator (derived from el lagarto--the lizard), mississippiensis (belonging to the Mississippi River)

Size: adult male to 3.3 m (11-12 ft.), adult female to 2.75 m (8-9 ft.)

Weight: adult males between 180 to 228 kg (400-500 lb.)

Description: a large, lizard-shaped reptile with four short legs, and a long muscular tail. The hide is rough and scaled. Young alligators are black with bright yellow blotches and stripes. Adults are a uniform dark color.

Life span: average 30 to 35 years in the wild, up to 50 years in captivity

Sexual maturity: reached at about 1.8 m (6 ft.) in both male and female

Incubation: about 20 to 25 eggs incubate for approximately 60-65 days.

Habitat: southeastern United States from Texas to Florida and north through eastern South Carolina. Found in both natural and man-made freshwater lakes, ponds, rivers, and wetland areas.

Diet: fish, turtles, mammals, snakes, birds, and even other alligators (under certain conditions); also will eat carrion.

Status: listed by the USFWS as threatened due to similarity in appearance to the American crocodile and protected by CITES. (Alligators used to be classified as endangered; they are one of the few animals to be down listed to threatened.)

Fun Facts

1. The alligator became the official state reptile of Florida in 1987. It is also the mascot of the University of Florida at Gainesville.

2. Because of legal protection, alligators are no longer endangered. They have made a remarkable comeback but are still classified as threatened due to similarity of appearance. This helps insure its continued protection and that of the endangered American crocodile.

3. Unlike other reptiles, female alligators will protect young for up to two years after hatching.

4. The temperature of the nest determines the sex of the young. The sex of an alligator is determined by the temperature at which eggs are incubated. If the nest is below 30 degrees Celsius (86 F) all are female; above 34 degrees Celsius (93 F) all are male and the temperature in between will produce both sexes.

5. There are approximately 80 teeth in the mouth at one time. When they wear down they are replaced and an alligator can go through 2,000 to 3,000 teeth in a lifetime.

Ecology and Conservation

Alligators construct "gator holes" with their large sweeping tails that retain water during periods of drought. This provides water and foraging space for many other species such as wading birds. In turn, alligators may forage on the species attracted to the "hole." Other species, like the red bellied slider use alligator nests for their own egg deposition. Paths used by alligators in sawgrasses widen to form creeks which in turn help to flood marshes during rainy seasons.

Bibliography

Brook Van Meter, Victoria. Florida's Alligators and Crocodiles. Miami: Florida Power and Light Co., 1987.

Levy, Charles. Endangered Species: Crocodiles and Alligators. New Jersey: Chartwell Books, 1991.

Steel, Rodney. Crocodiles. Great Britain: Christopher Helm Ltd., 1989.

Last Update 12/96

For more information about American alligators go to the Fact Sheet
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