American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

Physical Description:
Although only 6 to 10 inches at hatching, these very large reptiles grow continuously throughout their whole lives reaching lengths of thirteen to twenty feet and weights from 400 to 2000 pounds. As young, they have yellow stripes crossing their otherwise grey body, to aid in camouflage among the tall grasses and aquatic vegetation. As they grow, these stripes will fade to a solid grey.

Habitat:
They live in a variety of wetlands and bodies of water including swamps, bayous, rivers, lakes, canals…even golf course ponds! When laying young, they also dig cavity nests which can serve as a home for dozens of other species. This makes them a keystone species!

Range:
The American Alligator lives in the southeastern United States from coastal North Carolina, south through the Florida Keys, and west to Texas.

Diet:
They are carnivores and an apex predator. They will eat insects, frogs, fish, turtles, mammals, and sometimes other alligators!

Life Span:
They can live 50 years (or more)!

Social Structure: Female American Alligators lay 25 to 60 eggs in a nest of damp vegetation and mud. The mother protects the nest from predators for two to three months until the eggs hatch. She will often watch over them after hatching even though they live and hunt on their own. Males are more solitary and may potentially predate their own young!

Status:
Least Concern1! Formerly an Endangered Species, more than one million adult alligators live in the wild today. They are a conservation success story. 

References: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/46583/3009637

Other: Alligators have been around longer than dinosaurs, around 65 million years! During this time they’ve remained virtually unchanged. They are built for stealth and strength in the water but can move amazingly fast on land as well. Their eyes, ears and nostrils are on top of a long flat head, enabling them to see, hear and breathe while most of their body is submerged in water. They bite down with 2000 pounds of pressure with a mouth that contains 65 teeth. These teeth are so important to a gator’s survival, they can continually be replaced if an alligator loses one.