Page 12 - Present Day Wildlife_Float

The alligator is a large fresh water, semi-aquatic, armoured reptile and is a member of the genus
Alligator in the family Alligatoridae. There are only two species of alligator; the Chinese alligator,
(Alligator sinensis) which is found in only the Yangtze River valley and parts of adjacent provinces in
Eastern China and the American alligator, (Alligator. Mississippiens) found in only several states
across the Southeastern United States. The larger of the two, the American alligator is around 4 metres
in length and weighs around 360 kg, while the
smallest the Chinese alligator is around 1 to 2 me-
tres in length and weighs around 45 kg. The Ameri-
can Alligator first appeared around 53 to 65 million
years ago, whereas, the Chinese Alligator did not
appear until 33 million years ago. Some believe it is
a descendent of an American alligator that crossed
the Bering land bridge, a strip of land that once
joined the continents of Asia and the Americas
some 45 million years ago.

Alligators have a long round but flattish body,
with a long flat pointed tail. The thick skin on its
back is covered with bony scales and tightly packed
rows of bone protrusions, known as osteoderms or
scutes. They have four short but robust legs; the
front legs have five webbed toes while the back legs have only four. Its head, with its
large round eyes on top, is dominated by its huge rounded snout with its upward fac-
ing nostrils. With only it’s high set eyes and nostrils above the surface this allows the
alligator to slide, unseen, through the water. It has powerful jaws, lined with over 50
replaceable teeth; the average alligator can go through 2 to 3000 teeth in its lifetime.
The biting power of an Alligators jaws is exceptionally powerful and prey caught in
them, is unlikely to escape without serious injury. However, the opening power of its
jaws is very weak, making it vulnerable; hold or lasso its jaws closed and the animal is
virtually helpless. The adults colour is a dull grey or black with a faint yellow banded
tail; a huge difference from the bright grey, and bright yellow bands it displayed as a
juvenile.

Alligators live in freshwater environments, like ponds, rivers, lakes, and
swamps. Large alligators tend to be solitary and territorial, while smaller ones are of-
ten found in groups known as congregations. They are also prolific burrowers creat-
ing burrows along the river bank. They crawl into these burrows when danger threat-
ens or the weather turns too cold. They have two forms of movement on land,
"sprawl" and "high walk". The sprawl is best seen when the animal drops on its belly
and slides into the water. The high walk is used to walk around on land and while it
may look slow and cumbersome, alligators can suddenly shoot forward and over short
distances reach speeds of 32 to 48 km/h, taking any intended prey totally by surprise.
They are also one bite predators. With small prey one bite is usually enough. Howev-
er, with large prey one bite may prove ineffectual – open its jaws and the prey could
escape – so alligators use the ‘Death roll’. Once it bites into its prey it simultaneously
flips its heavy tail in the air and around, spinning itself in almost a complete circle. In
water this is an ideal way of dragging large struggling animals into the watery depths,
while on land will rip a huge chunk of flesh from its victim, hopeful incapacitating it
or killing it.

Alligators are carnivores, and depending on their size will determine what they eat. Juveniles will
eat fish, insects and crustaceans while adults will tackle turtles, muskrats, deer and most large reptiles.
With the arrival of winter however, food often becomes scarce or it gets too cold. In these conditions
the alligator will enter its burrow and go into a dormant state to conserve energy. This is not hiberna-
tion, as they can easily snap out of this dormant state if the weather improves. Unlike crocodiles, alli-
gators do not view humans as food, and unless provoked do their best to avoid humans. They do not
automatically attack. However, alligators are egg lairs. A female can lay upwards of fifty eggs. These
have to be incubated on land where she builds a nest. During the incubation period and the hatching of
the eggs, this female Alligator is a very dangerous animal to approach. She will launch a furious attack
on any intruder she perceives as a threat to the eggs or her young. (See: Crocodile)