Alligators (lat. Alligator). Alligators Alligator from the swamps of South America

Alligator is a separate genus of crocodiles. Today there are 2 species of these reptiles, one species lives in China, and the second in North America. Accordingly, these species are called the American and Chinese alligator.

The habitat of American alligators is Florida, South and North Carolina, as well as the state of Louisiana, or rather the coastal zone of the Gulf of Mexico. These territories are adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, where alligators are settled in various national parks, where they are completely safe. In China, conditions are not so rosy for alligators. The reptiles live in the eastern part of the Yangtze River basin. Today there are about 200 representatives of Chinese alligators, and previously they lived throughout Korea and Eastern China.

How is a crocodile different from an alligator?

The main feature by which an alligator differs from a crocodile is the shape of the skull. The crocodile's snout is longer and more pointed, while the alligator's head is broad, shorter and has a "blunt" shape.

Another difference is that when the alligator's mouth is closed, the fourth tooth is not visible. Alligators can only live in fresh water because they do not have glands like crocodiles that can filter salt. There are also differences between alligators and crocodiles not only in appearance, but also in diet. Crocodiles eat only meat and fish, while alligators eat not only animal, but also plant food, such as fruits and leaves.

Characteristics of species

American alligators live in the southeastern United States in swampy areas. Males of American alligators are larger than females, reaching a length of 3.4 meters, and females - 2.6 meters. Old males over 4 meters in length can be found. The largest specimen was discovered in Louisiana in 1980; the alligator was 5.8 meters long. The weight of males reaches 220-230 kilograms, and females weigh from 90 to 100 kilograms. Both males and females have a slightly pronounced nasal ridge.

The legs of the American alligator are short. The front paws have 5 toes, and the hind paws have 4. The tail is flexible and powerful. The upper part of the alligator's body is protected by bone plates. The upper body is black, gray or brown, and the belly is cream. There are 74-84 teeth in the mouth of an American alligator. The eyes have a gray iris. On average, American alligators live 30-50 years, but there is speculation that these reptiles can reach 150 years of age.

The Chinese alligator is smaller than the American alligator; the average body length of a male is 1.5 meters and weight is 36 kilograms. Females are 10 centimeters smaller than males. The largest males reach 2.1 meters and weigh 45 kilograms. Unlike the American alligator, the Chinese alligator is completely covered with bony plates - both from the back and from the stomach. The eyelids are protected by bony scutes.

Chinese alligators are yellowish-gray in color. Young alligators have yellow stripes on their bodies and tails. Over time, the stripes begin to fade and then disappear completely. The Chinese alligator has black spots on its lower jaw. It is believed that the meat of Chinese alligators serves as a cure for colds and even cancer. In connection with this assumption, a huge number of reptiles were exterminated.

Reproduction

The mating season for alligators begins in the spring, at which time males and females growl, thereby attracting attention. In the lower part of the jaw, alligators have a special musk gland, which emits a characteristic odor, which also attracts partners. One male can create a colony of 10 females. Alligators make their nests near the water, collecting leaves, grass and twigs in a pile. The nest is a hill about a meter high.

Chinese alligators lay 10 to 40 eggs, while American alligators lay 20 to 50 eggs. Alligators cover their eggs with grass on top. The incubation period lasts 65 days, females do not leave the nest during this entire time, protecting it from predators. When the babies hatch, they squeak, their mother, hearing this squeak, digs up the grass, and then takes the cubs in her mouth and carries them into the water. Small alligators have yellow stripes on their bodies that form a protective coloring. The female alligator takes care of the young for several months, and when the cubs grow up, she begins to behave aggressively with them, thereby forcing the cubs to live independently.

Behavior

Adults are solitary. Each alligator lives in a separate territory. If another alligator appears, then the owner of his territory is aggressive. Young animals live in groups and coexist with each other quite peacefully. At first glance, alligators seem clumsy, but when hunting they can move at a speed of 45 kilometers per hour.

In the fall, alligators hibernate; they spend the winter in burrows located on the shore of a reservoir. A large hole can accommodate several reptiles at once. Some alligators do not dig holes, but simply bury themselves in the mud, leaving only their nostrils on the surface. Even in severe frosts, the alligator feels safe in the mud, since the necessary amount of oxygen reaches its lungs.

Nutrition

An alligator is a predatory reptile. American alligators are large in size, placing them at the top of the food chain among other predators. American alligators even hunt wild boars and deer, but this happens extremely rarely. The main diet is fish, nutria, muskrat and waterfowl. Alligators also affect livestock, as well as cats and dogs. Alligators do not disdain lizards and snakes. Baby alligators hunt invertebrates and insects.

Chinese alligators are small in size, so they are not as dangerous as American alligators. They hunt mainly birds, fish, snakes, insects and invertebrates. Reptiles are typically nocturnal and rest in their burrows during the day.

Number

The number of American alligators does not cause concern: people take care of them and the reptiles live in complete comfort. The lands of North America are the most fertile place for alligators; their number there is about a million.

As for the Chinese, they are quite aggressive against alligators, as a result the number of reptiles there is no more than 200 individuals.

Listen to the alligator's voice

But the Americans became so fond of the reptiles that representatives of the Chinese alligators were taken to the United States. Newly arrived individuals are surrounded by care in south Florida. Today we can say with complete confidence that none of the species is in danger of extinction.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

(Alligator mississippiensis) and Chinese alligator ( Alligator sinensis).

Encyclopedic YouTube

• 1 / 5

  They differ from other representatives of the order of crocodiles by their wider muzzle, and their eyes are located more dorsally (in the upper part of the body). The coloring of both known species is dark, often almost black, but depends on the color of the surrounding water - in the presence of algae it can be greener. If the water contains a high content of tannic acid from overhanging trees, then the color becomes darker. Compared to real crocodiles (especially representatives of the genus Crocodylus) in alligators, when the jaw is closed, only the upper teeth are visible, although in some individuals the teeth are deformed in such a way that this creates difficulties in identification.

  Large alligators have red eyes, while smaller ones have green eyes. Based on this feature, an alligator can be detected at night.

  The largest alligator ever recorded in history was discovered on Marsh Island in the US state of Louisiana - its length was 5.8 m and its weight was about a ton. However, the reliability of this report raises numerous questions among experts. It is believed that the largest Mississippi alligators can hardly grow larger than 4.5 meters. The Chinese alligator is much smaller, rarely exceeding 2m in length, although historically there have been reports of animals up to 3m in length.

  Spreading

  There are only two countries in the world where representatives of this genus live - the United States of America and China. The Chinese alligator is endangered and is found only in the Yangtze River valley. The American alligator lives on the east coast of the United States from North Carolina to Texas. Most American alligators live in Florida and Louisiana. In Florida alone, their number exceeds 1 million individuals. The only place on Earth where alligators and crocodiles coexist is Florida.

  Lifestyle

  Alligators are considered the most social and tolerant representatives of the order of crocodiles towards individuals of their species. But despite this, large males are characterized by seasonal territoriality: during the breeding season, they try to stick to small individual areas, which they protect from other males. Females and smaller males can be seen in close proximity to each other at any time of the year.

  Despite their rather large weight and slow metabolism, in water over a short distance they can reach high speeds - over 30 km/h.

  Nutrition

  Alligators eat almost anything they can catch. Juveniles prey on fish, insects, snails and crustaceans. As they grow, Mississippi alligators choose larger prey: large fish such as shellfish ( Lepisosteidae); turtles, small mammals, birds and other reptiles, while Chinese alligators, due to their small size, still consume a large number of very small animals. Foreign bodies are often found in the stomachs of alligators. If alligators are hungry enough, they may also eat carrion. Adult Mississippi alligators can sometimes prey on deer, wild pigs, or even younger alligators, although they are much less adept at capturing large prey than most true crocodiles and black caiman. There are several known cases of alligators preying on pumas, black bears, manatees, cows and horses in Florida. Basically, alligators are able to swallow their usual prey at once, instantly crushing it with their jaws. They drag larger and rarer animals in their diet into the water and rotate them with their teeth until they tear off parts from it that are small enough to swallow whole, and the victim dies from lack of air or the wounds received.

  An attack on a person occurs very rarely - unlike crocodiles, they do not consider a person as a victim. But the number of Mississippi alligator attacks on humans has increased recently. While only 9 fatalities were reported in the United States between the 1970s and 1990s, there were 11 fatal attacks from 2001 to 2006 alone. For a long time, people believed that alligators, unlike crocodiles, are afraid of humans, and in principle this statement is true. However, this approach has led to unnecessary risks among some people who enter their habitats and provoke the animals into aggression. Chinese alligators are considered the calmest representatives of the crocodile order and do not attack people.

  The American alligator, or as it is also called the Mississippi alligator, lives in North America and prefers freshwater bodies of water, such as ponds, rivers, lakes and even wetlands.

  The length of an adult male is up to 4.5 m, the length of a female is up to 3 m. Strong short limbs, with five toes on the front and four on the back.

  Weight from 80 to 350 kg. The skin is covered with horny scutes, bone plates on the back are good protection, it is not easy to break through.

  A powerful, muscular tail controls movements in the water. The color ranges from green-olive to green-black, the belly is yellow-white.

  It has a wide and blunt snout with a gigantic mouth, in which there are about 80 sharp, dangerous teeth.

  The nostrils are very sensitive, and the eyes are located high, which allows it to hide completely in the water. Only the eyes and the tip of the nose are barely visible from the water - excellent camouflage, to be sure.

  He can sit motionless in ambush, waiting for prey for hours. Grabbing an onlooker, he drags him under the water, drowns him, then tears him into pieces. Often hits its prey with its tail to confuse it.

  Prefers smaller animals; it is easier to swallow dinner whole. But if he catches a large victim, then, having eaten to his fill, he may starve for months.

  Fat reserves are located at the base of the tail, which allows the reptile to survive times of hunger calmly. These gloomy predators mainly go out hunting at night. It feeds on snakes, birds and mammals.

  The adult male leads a solitary, territorial lifestyle, allowing only a few females. If a young competitor appears, then the owner is right there: opening his mouth, he pushes away and drives away the uninvited guest. Clumsy and heavy on the earth's surface, it walks on outstretched paws. And in the water he is an excellent graceful swimmer.

  The reptile hibernates during the cold season, hiding in a hole, which it digs itself with the help of its tail and hind legs. This action benefits nature, especially wetlands. By deepening the holes and throwing mud and excess vegetation onto the shore, the swamp turns into a clean body of water, where willows later grow. Periodically, he repairs and cares for his burrows. Also takes refuge in a hole when it is too hot.

  The mating season begins in the spring, around April. When courting, they blow bubbles and rub their noses. Males often fight among themselves for females. They make a loud roar, attracting females. If any of the brides responds, then he goes to her. Soon the female begins to build a nest from fallen leaves and grass. Decaying and rotting vegetation releases heat, and this is exactly what is needed for future masonry.

  At the beginning of July, the female will lay 30 - 50 eggs, cover them with grass, and she herself will be nearby. She staunchly guards the future offspring for about 2 - 2.5 months, and as soon as she hears the squeak that the cubs are feeding from the eggs, she will throw off the grass and help the babies to be born.

  The small reptiles that are born are up to 20 cm long and weigh about 140 grams. The mother carries the babies in her mouth to shallow water, where they are also under her supervision. There are too many people who want to profit from the young animals, these are birds, otters, so not all the cubs will survive. They eat

  Description

  Animal skull

  The average length of adult females does not exceed 3 m, the length of males on average ranges from 4 to 4.5 m. Earlier reports recorded the length of American alligators up to 5-6 m, but there is no modern confirmation of such sizes. Compared to the Chinese alligator, the American alligator is larger.

  The legs are characteristically short, but are capable of holding prey during rapid movement. The front paws have five toes, the hind paws only four. The head is noticeably separated from the neck, and in captivity it is noticeably wider compared to wild individuals - perhaps this is due to the difference in diet.

  The nostrils at the tip of the snout are positioned in such a way that they allow the sharp-snouted alligator to breathe when the rest of the head is completely submerged under water. During hibernation, alligators keep their nostrils above the surface of the water, while the upper body may be frozen in the ice. The large fourth tooth on the lower jaw is not visible from the outside when the mouth is closed, as it fits into the recess of the upper jaw.

  Both females and males have a back covered with “armored” bony scutes. The tail is flattened and muscular, which allows it to control movement in the water. The upper part of the body in adult alligators is olive or black, the belly is creamy white. Young alligators have bright yellow stripes on their tails. American alligators have gray eyes.

  Spreading

  

  Mississippi alligator in Florida

  Its natural range includes North America—the southeastern United States along the Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico: North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Louisiana. It lives in freshwater bodies of water: rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands. Prefers stagnant water due to its breathing patterns (usually only the tip of its nose with nostrils sticks out to the surface). Tolerates lightly salted water for a short period of time. The sharp-snouted alligator sometimes digs holes as a shelter or wintering place. If their habitat dries out, alligators move to another location, sometimes using swimming pools as shelter.

  Behavior

  Young alligators stay in the same area where they were hatched and stay mostly together, allowing them to better defend themselves against predators. Adult individuals do not maintain such close ties, however, they also tend to unite into social groups. If alligators are forced to live together in large groups as a result of drought, they tend to ignore each other.

  It has been observed that even if alligators do not hibernate, they enter a dormant state in the winter when the weather is cold enough. They can dig a cave on the shore of a reservoir and partially hide there, or bury themselves in the mud. Such depressions help them withstand very hot or very cold weather.

  Nutrition

  Alligators are predators, but they eat whatever they can catch. Their main diet consists of fish, turtles, snakes and small mammals. Juveniles eat insects, snails and small fish. They hunt mainly at night.

  Reproduction

  The mating season begins in the spring, when the water warms up enough. Mating occurs at night, in shallow water. Females usually initiate communication during the peak mating season. Although alligators do not have vocal cords, males, when calling females, roar loudly or make sounds that are beyond the range of auditory perception - this is noticeable on the surface of the water by bubbles or ripples. Mating rituals involve rubbing each other and blowing bubbles. Males often stick their heads out of the water, thus expressing their desire to mate. It happens that a male and a female push each other under water and fight to check the physical form of their partner.

  Alligators are polygamous - one male can have up to 10 females in his territory. During the mating season, males stick to their territory and defend it from other males by pushing them away with their open mouths.

  Both males and females reach sexual maturity when their body length is over 180 cm, growth lasts 10-12 years; males gain the required length faster. Courtship begins in April, with mating usually occurring in early May. After mating, the female builds a nest for herself from vegetation and at the end of June - beginning of July lays 35-50 (maximum observed - 88) eggs. The eggs are then covered with grass until hatching, which occurs after 65 days.

  At the end of August, the hatchlings begin to make high-pitched sounds inside the eggs. This becomes a signal for the female, she removes the covering litter, and hatching occurs. The offspring are born 18-20 cm long. Newly hatched alligators live in small groups. About 8% of the entire brood falls prey to birds or raccoons. Other predators include bobcats, otters, snakes, largemouth bass, and other alligators. During the first months (and sometimes years), females actively protect their offspring.

  Notes

  Links

  • Pajerski, L., B. Schechter and R. Street. 2000. "Alligator mississippiensis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed November 24, 2006 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Alligator_mississippiensis.html.
  • crocodilian.com: Alligator mississippiensis(DAUDIN, 1801) (English)
  • The Reptile Database: Alligator mississippiensis(English)
  • American alligator: information on the IUCN Red List website (English)
  
  

  Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

  Titles: Mississippi alligator, pike alligator, American alligators.

  Area: The Mississippi alligator is the larger of the two existing species of alligator, and is common in the southeastern United States. Currently, it lives only south of Virginia and east of the Lower Rio Grande in the states of Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, North and South Carolina, southern Arkansas, with a particularly large population living in the swamps of Florida.

  Description: The Mississippi alligator has a rather long, but wide and flat snout. Interestingly, animals kept in captivity have a wider muzzle than their wild relatives (due to their feeding habits). The nostrils are located at the end of the snout, which allows the animal to breathe while its entire body is under water. Adult alligators living in the wild come in two types: long and thin, short and wide. These differences in composition are explained by nutrition, climate and other factors.
  The alligator's powerful weapon is its muscular, flat tail. Four large occipital scutes are arranged two in two transverse rows. In the area of ​​the middle of the body there are eight longitudinal rows of dorsal scutes. The skin on the sides has bone plates. The bony abdominal shell is absent. The paws are short, the front legs are five-toed, the hind legs are four-toed. The bases of the fingers of the forelimbs are connected by a swimming membrane. The total number of teeth is 74-80.
  When the mouth is closed, the edge of the upper jaw overlaps the teeth of the lower jaw, with the lower teeth fitting into the recesses of the upper jaw. The large fourth tooth of the lower jaw fits into a socket in the upper jaw and remains invisible when the mouth is closed. This tooth structure is characteristic of alligators and is not found in crocodiles and gharials, in which the lower teeth fit into sockets on the outside of the upper jaw.
  Young alligators are smaller copies of their parents, distinguished by bright yellow intersecting stripes on a black background, which serves as good camouflage for them.

  Color: The general coloration of the upper side of the Mississippi alligator is dark, dull green, and the ventral side is light yellow. Juveniles have an almost black dorsal coloration with bright light yellow transverse stripes on the tail; adults have dark stripes. Alligators of the western populations, which are historically isolated from the eastern ones, have white lines - outlines around the jaws, their body and tail are lighter in color. In older individuals, the yellow stripes fade to olive-brown and black, although the areas of skin around the jaw, neck and belly remain creamy white. The ventral region is light with black spots. Eye color: olive, green, but other colors are possible

  Size: Adult male alligators reach 4-4.5 meters, sometimes individuals exceeding 5 meters in length are found (the maximum recorded length is 5.8 m). Females reach a length of up to 3 m.

  Weight: Up to 200-300 kg. There is unconfirmed information (which raises doubts) that in the 19th and 20th centuries. alligators weighing half a ton were killed.

  Lifespan: One Mississippi alligator has been documented to live for 66 years. He was brought to the Adelaide Zoo, PC. South Australia, June 5, 1914 at the age of 2 years, and he lived until September 26, 1978. According to other sources, the record life expectancy of this species in captivity is 85 years.

  Voice: Baby alligators make croaking sounds (English: y-eonk, y-eonk, y-eonk), and adult alligators make a loud roar during the breeding season. Eyewitnesses compare the voice of the Mississippi alligator to distant thunder or explosions when poachers kill fish with dynamite. If several males scream at the same time, then heavy pulsating sounds literally shake the swamp.

  Habitat: Alligators are found in a wide variety of freshwater habitats, preferring slow-moving freshwater swamps, rivers and lakes, and ponds scattered in peat bogs. It does not like bodies of salt water, although it can live for a short time in the brackish water of the mangrove swamps of South Florida (Everglade). Very often the Mississippi alligator can be found near human habitation.
  Females, as a rule, live within a small area of ​​lakes and swamps; and males claim a territory of more than 2 square meters. miles.

  Enemies: Newborn and young alligators can be attacked by large wading birds, raccoons, bobcats and adult alligators. Cases of cannibalism are common among large male alligators, which is not typical for crocodiles. At the age of two years, alligators reach an average length of 90 cm and from that time on they have practically no enemies - with the exception of humans. Food: Mississippi alligators are predators. The main food is fish, but on occasion it attacks other animals. Young reptiles feed on aquatic insects and crustaceans, small fish and frogs, and as they grow their diet becomes more varied. Adult alligators feed on almost any aquatic and terrestrial life that lives in the area: snakes, fish, small mammals, birds and even small alligators. In places where alligators live near people and when they are hungry, small dogs and other domestic animals become their prey.
  Alligators do not pose a great danger to humans, but in rare cases, the Mississippi alligator attacks people, and even then only if it was provoked or if it confused a child with some small prey.
  Sometimes it eats fish in fishing nets. In severe hunger, it can eat carrion.

  Behavior: The hunting behavior of the Mississippi alligator depends on the water temperature, and at temperatures below 20-23 ° C their appetite sharply decreases and activity decreases. The most favorable body temperature for life is 32-35", temperatures above 38" are fatal for this species. On land, crocodiles often lie with their mouths wide open, i.e. this is due to thermoregulation (water evaporates from the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, which increases heat transfer).
  Adult alligators typically hunt in the water, grabbing small prey with their teeth and swallowing it whole. They drown large prey under water and then tear it into pieces. The crocodile has enviable patience: with only the slits of its eyes and nostrils out of the water, it can watch for its prey for hours. Usually, in this almost “flooded” position, it drifts along the surface of the water along the shore, looking out for prey.
  Alligators have the strongest bite of any known "biting" predator. A 4-meter American alligator weighing 332 kilograms bit a special measuring device with a force equivalent to the gravity of a 1063-kilogram object (the weight of a small truck). A large specimen at a crocodile farm in St. Augustine (USA) bit with a force equivalent to weighing 1,480 kilograms. Alligators use such a powerful mouth to catch and bite freshwater turtles, which have a particularly hard shell.
  At the moment of immersion, the crocodile’s nostrils are closed by the swollen edges of the skin, the ear openings are hermetically sealed by skin folds, and blood circulation in all organs except the brain and heart muscle is suspended. Typically, in the first 20 minutes of being at depth, a crocodile uses up half of its total oxygen supply, and uses the rest more sparingly over the next 100 minutes.
  

  Copyright holder: