Alligator Interesting Facts and Information

Alligators are any crocodilian belonging to the family Alligatoridae. Most recent evidences indicate that even though alligators are classified as reptiles like lizards, snakes and turtles, they are actually more closely related to birds, whose direct ancestors were dinosaurs. Alligators are traditionally found in freshwater such as rivers, lakes, swamps and the surrounding land. 

Alligator

Alligators are opportunistic feeders.  They depend on prey species that are easily accessible and abundant. Juvenile Alligators eat insects, amphibians, small fish and other invertebrates.  Adult alligators eat rouch fish, snakes, turtle’s small mammals and birds.

Another interesting fact about them is that female alligators are rarely found of 10 feet in length, but males have capability to grow much more in comparison to females.  As per the Florida state record for length is a 14 foot 3-1/2 inch male that was found in the Lake Washington Brevard County, here as the Florida record for weight is a 1,043 pound (13 feet 10-1/2 inches long) male from Orange Lake in Alachua County. 

Basic Information about Alligator:

Name	Alligator
Average Length	7 ft (Chinese Alligator) and 12 ft (American Alligator)
Average Weight	45 kg ( Chinese ) and 400 kg ( American )
Area	USA and China
Life Span	60 years
Kingdom	Animalia
Class	Reptilia
Family	Alligatoridae
Genus	Alligator
Species	2 species

When it comes to multiply their species nearly all of them become sexually mature by the time they reach approximately 7 feet in length although females can reach maturity at 6 feet. A female alligator takes 10-15 years to reach its length whereas a male 8-12 years to reach its length. Courtship begins in the beginning of April, and mating starts from May or June. Females build a mound nest of vegetation, soil, or debris and lays eggs of an average of 32 to 46 by late June or early in July. Incubation requires approximately 63-68 days, and hatching occurs from mid-August to early September.
 

American Alligator

Like most of the reptiles about one-third of their nests are destroyed by predators or flooding. 38 is the clutch size of a nest of an alligator. 10 alligator hatchlings only are found to be live to one year. Of these yearlings, 8 will become sub adults (reach 4 feet in length). The number of sub adults that reach maturity (6 feet in length) is approximately 5. These estimates are for a growing alligator population. As a population matures, the survival rate would be expected to be lower, in part due to a higher rate of cannibalism.

Mortality rate in them is pretty higher compare to other reptiles.  They are prone to mortality in our stage like when it’s Egg they are susceptible to predation, being crushed by the female, drowning, or other calamities.  Raccoons, hogs, bears are the primary predators. Predators like otters, raccoons, fish and wading birds and most important larger alligators may be their most-significant ones eat these small alligators in their initial period. When adults, cannibalism, intraspecific fights, and hunted by humans are the most significant mortality factors.  Diseases and Parasites are not at all problems for them.
 

Chinese Alligator

Alligators are found from southeast of Oklahoma and east of Texas, the western side to North Carolina and Florida in the east. In terms of living their preferences are slow-moving rivers and fresh water lakes and their related wetlands, but you can also found them in brackish water habitats.