Florida Alligators
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| The American Alligator has a
large, slightly rounded body, with
thick limbs, a broad head, and a
very powerful tail. Early Spanish
explorers who encountered the large,
lizard-like reptiles in the
southeastern United States named
them “el lagarto,” meaning lizard.
Later, English settlers called them
“allagarto,” which led to today’s
term of “alligator.” The American
alligator (Alligator
mississippiensis) is found only in
the southeastern part of the United
States, especially Florida and
Louisiana. Alligators have long
bodies, big mouths full of lethal
teeth and huge tails. The tail,
which accounts for half of the
alligator's total length, is
primarily used for aquatic
propulsion. The tail can also be
used as a weapon of defense when an
alligator feels threatened.
Alligators travel very quickly in
water, are generally slow-moving on
land and can lunge short distances
very quickly. Five long toes on
their front feet provide alligators
with firm footing on land. Their
webbed hind feet have only four
toes, which helps them steer in
water. Alligators are armed with 80
potentially deadly cone-shaped
teeth, making them perfect for
grabbing and latching onto prey. The
teeth are not used for chewing.
Alligators swallow their prey in big
chunks or whole, depending on the
size of their prey. The stomachs of
the alligators contain gastroliths,
stones which function to grind the
food in the stomach and help with
digestion. The alligator’s diet
consists mostly of fish, turtles,
snakes and the occasional small
deer, wading bird, raccoon or even
sometimes small pets. Alligators
appear quite similar to the
Crocodile, but to tell them apart,
most people look at the snout.
Alligators have a broad and short
snout compared to the long and
pointed snout of the Crocodile.
Alligators spend most of their lives
in freshwater and subtropical
climates, whereas most crocodiles
thrive in tropical climates in
brackish water or saltwater
environments. Florida is unique
because it is the only place in the
world where you can see both
alligators and crocodiles in the
same place: The Everglades.
Alligators are here to be studied,
watched, preserved, protected and
respected as survivors of the
dinosaur age. |
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