Introduction
Closely related to crocodiles, alligators are large lizard-like animals with long, rounded
snouts and powerful tails. They are found in only two countries, the United States and China.
Where Alligators Live
Only two species of alligator exist on Earth. The larger of the two species is the American
alligator. The scientific name of the American alligator is Alligator mississippiensis. It is
found in the southeastern United States from North Carolina to Florida and west to the lower
Rio Grande. The Chinese alligator (A. sinensis) lives in China in the Yangtze River and its
tributaries.
Alligators usually live in slow-moving rivers. They also live along the edges of large bodies
of water, such as lakes and swamps. Large adults can stay underwater for over an hour
without breathing. Alligators do not have salt glands to remove salt from their body. Because
of this, they cannot stay in salty water, such as the ocean, for long.
Although alligators are most comfortable in the water, they are also able to travel on land by
sliding on their bellies, stepping with their legs extended, or galloping awkwardly. Alligators
dig burrows to escape from danger. They also sleep in these burrows through the winter.
Physical Features
The male American alligator grows to an average length of 11 feet (3.4 meters) and can
weigh about half a ton. The female American alligator can grow up to 8 feet (2.5 meters).
Young American alligators are black with yellow banding on the tail. The adults are brown
with dark stripes on the tail.
The Chinese alligator normally grows to a length of 5 feet (1.5 meters). It is blackish with
faint yellowish markings.
Alligators have a thick skin composed of close-set, overlapping bony plates called scutes, or
osteoderms. They have four short legs. The front legs have five toes, but the back legs have
only four. Alligators swim with snakelike movements. Their flat, muscular, oarlike tails
provide powerful swimming strokes and are effective weapons as well. Their eyes, ears, and
nostrils are located on top of their long head. These can be spotted above the water when
alligators are floating at the surface, as they often do.
Although they resemble crocodiles, alligators display some distinctive features. Alligators
have a rounded snout, while the snout of most crocodiles is narrow and pointed. When
alligators close their jaws none of their teeth can be seen because the fourth tooth in the lower
jaw fits into a socket in the upper jaw. The fourth tooth of crocodiles always sticks out at the
side of their mouth.
Behavior
Like crocodiles, alligators are basically carnivores, meaning that they eat meat. Young
alligators eat worms and insects. As they mature, they add frogs, tadpoles, and fish to their
diet. Adult alligators feed mainly on fish, small mammals, and birds, but they may sometimes
kill prey as large as deer or cattle. They hunt mainly in water by swallowing their small prey
whole. Larger animals are dragged underwater, drowned, and then eaten.
Life Cycle
At the time of mating, which is usually in the spring, male alligators give bellowing roars.
These roars help establish breeding territories and attract the females. When the time comes
to lay eggs, the female builds a mound nest of mud and grass. In this nest, she lays from 20 to
60 hard-shelled, oval, white eggs. They are ready to hatch after about 65 days.
At hatching time the baby alligators start making feeble squeaks. The mother digs the eggs
out of the nest. The babies are born with a sharp spike on their noses that they use to break
their way through the eggshell. Mother alligators are noted for taking good care of their
young. They stay around to protect the eggs and guard the young for as long as a year.
Newborn alligators are about 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 centimeters) long and face danger from
many predators, including fish, birds, and larger alligators. They grow about 1 foot (0.3
meter) in length per year for the first three to four years. After that time, their growth
continues more slowly.
Ecological Issues
Both the American and Chinese alligator have been killed for their hide, or skin. Their hide is
used as leather for handbags, luggage, shoes, belts, and other items. They have also been
hunted in order to protect domestic animals and humans. The young of the American alligator
have been sold in large numbers as pets. Because of these things, the American alligator has
disappeared from many areas where it was once abundant.
The Chinese alligator has become so scarce that it is considered endangered by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
