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The Amazing Rivers and Lakes infested with Crocodiles and the Alligators

Crocodiles and the Alligators

Crocodiles and Alligator look almost alike. Depending on the region one is coming from, these dangerous animals are some of the most important animals in making sure many of the worlds rivers, lakes and swamps are swept clean of any dead animals and which might have drowned or rotten killed and swept along in these alligators and crocodiles infested waters.There are two living Alligator species: the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and the Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis).  As far as the definition of an alligator is concerned, an alligator comes from the  crocodilian is in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. Alligator comes from the Spanish word el lagarto (the lizard). This is the famous name which was given to the alligators by the  early Spanish explorers and settlers in called the alligator.

Alligator adaptations

There are many adaptations for the American alligator. Baby alligators have an egg tooth that helps them get out of their egg during hatching time. They also have a muscular flat tail that propels them forward while they swim.

The Alligator is notorious for its bone crushing bite. In addition, the Alligator has been described as a 'living fossil from the age of reptiles, having survived on earth for 200 million years'.

An average adult American Alligator's weight and length is 800 pounds (360 kg) and 13 feet (4.0 m) long, but can grow to 14.5 feet (4.4 m) long and weigh 1,032 pounds (468 kg). According to the website, the largest Alligator ever recorded in was 17 feet 5 inches (5.3 m), although according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission web site the state record for length is a 14 feet 5/8 inches (4.28 m) male from in . The Chinese Alligator is smaller, rarely exceeding 7 feet (2.1 m) in length. Alligators have an average of 75 teeth.

The average lifespan for an Alligator is 50 years. A specimen named Muja has resided in the Belgrade Zoo in since 1937 (74 years ago), making it at least 71 years old. Another specimen, Čabulītis, in died in 2007 (4 years ago) being more than 75 years old.[citation needed]

Alligator Natural Habitat

Alligators of various ages in Everglades National ParkAlligators are only native to the and .

American alligators are found in the southeast : all of and , the southern parts of , and , coastal South and , Eastern Texas, the southeast corner of and the southern tip of . Alligators have also been found in extreme southern along the during the summer months. According to the 2005 (6 years ago) Scholastic Book of World Records, is the state with the largest Alligator population. The majority of American alligators inhabit and , with over a million alligators in each state. American alligators live in freshwater environments, such as ponds, marshes, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and swamps, as well as brackish environment. is the only place where both alligators and crocodiles live side by side.

The Chinese Alligator currently is found only in the valley and is extremely endangered, with only a few dozen believed to be left in the wild. Indeed, far more Chinese alligators live in zoos around the world than can be found in the wild. Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in southern has several in captivity in an attempt to preserve the species. Miami MetroZoo in also has a breeding pair of Chinese alligators. The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park has successfully reproduced Chinese Alligators and been fortunate enough to release some of their offspring back Into The Wild (9 walls) in China.

Alligator Natural Behavior

Large male alligators are solitary, territorial animals. Smaller alligators can often be found in large numbers in close proximity to each other. The largest of the species (both males and females), will defend prime territory; smaller alligators have a higher tolerance of other alligators within a similar size class. Although alligators have a heavy body and a slow metabolism, they are capable of short bursts of speed, especially in very short lunges. Alligators' main prey is smaller animals that they can kill and eat with a single bite. Alligators may kill larger prey by grabbing it and dragging it into the water to drown. Alligators consume food that could not be eaten in one bite by allowing it to rot or by biting and then spinning or convulsing wildly until bite-size chunks are torn off. This is referred to as a "death roll." A hard-wired response developed over millions of years of evolution, even juvenile alligators execute death rolls when presented with chunks of meat. Critical to the Alligator's ability to initiate a death roll, the tail must flex to a significant angle relative to its body. An Alligator with an immobilized tail cannot do a death roll.

Most of the muscle in an Alligator's jaw is intended for biting and gripping prey. The muscles that close the jaws are exceptionally powerful, however the muscles for opening their jaws are relatively weak in comparison. As a result, an adult man can hold an Alligator's jaws shut with his bare hands. In general, a strip of duct tape is enough to prevent an adult Alligator from opening its jaws and is one of the most common methods used when alligators are to be captured and/or transported. Alligators are generally timid towards humans and tend to walk or swim away if one approaches. Unfortunately, this has led some people to the practice of approaching alligators and their nests in a way that may provoke the animals into attacking. In the state of , it is illegal to feed wild alligators at any time. If fed, the alligators will eventually lose their fear of humans and will learn to associate humans with food, thereby becoming a greater danger to people.

Alligator Natural Diet
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When young they eat fish, insects, snails, crustaceans, and worms. As they grow, they take progressively larger prey items, including larger fish such as gar, turtles, various mammals, birds, antelope and other reptiles. Their stomachs also often contain gastroliths. They will even consume carrion if they are sufficiently hungry. Adult alligators can take razorbacks and deer and are well known to kill and eat smaller alligators. In some cases, larger alligators are known to hunt the panther and black bears, making it the apex predator throughout its distribution. As humans encroach onto their habitat, attacks on humans are few but not unknown. Alligators, unlike the large crocodiles, do not immediately regard a human upon encounter as prey, but may still attack in self-defense if provoked.

Some alligators are missing inhibited gene for melanin, which makes them albino. These alligators are extremely rare and practically impossible to find in the wild. They could survive only in captivity. As with all albino animals, they are very vulnerable to the sun and predators. Posted by maggs mbey at 22:59