Interesting Facts
- Crocodilians have existed for more than 150 million years, far surpassing their dinosaur and flying reptilian cousins. Members of this family were successful predators long before mammals began their rule .
- Alligators do not truely hibernate, but they do undergo periods of dormancy in cold weather. They are known to search out caves in the banks of waterways and use them as dens . Females usually have a small range , while males occupy areas of greater than two miles . Both sexes become more active and extend their territory during the breeding months of April and May.
Common Names
Click on the language to view common names.
Common Names in English:
Alligator, Alligator, Gator, American Alligator, Florida Alligator, Mississippi Alligator, Louisiana Alligator., American Alligator, Florida Alligator, Gator, Louisiana Alligator, Mississippi Alligator
Common Names in German:
Mississippi-Alligator
Common Names in Russian:
Аллигатор щучий
Description
Physical Description
Species Alligator mississipiensis
Average adult
Alligators range
from 8.2 feet for females to 11.2 feet for males and can weigh over a ton
. They have a long, rounded
, shovel shaped snout with nostrils at the end which allow them to breath while their body is under water. Their bodies are long and lizard-like with a thck, muscular tail.
Their eyes, ears, and nose are positioned to peek out just above the waterline so they can locate prey
without being easily identified. Their eyes and nostrils close by reflex when the animal goes underwater, and they have a transparent third eyelid
, or nictitating membrane
, that covers
the eye as the animal moves through the water.
Habitat
Large shallow lakes , marshes, ponds , swamps , rivers , creeks , and canals in brackish water areas.
Biology
Diet
Young: insects, snails, other invertebrates
, frogs
, small fish
Adult
: predominately fish, turtles, snakes
, waterbirds, and small mammals
Reproduction
Sexual maturity is based upon the size of the Alligator. Both sexes are usually considered mature when they reach about six feet long. In the wild that is about 10-12 years old. In captivity, though, they can reach maturity much more quickly. After mating, females construct nests of underbrush. They lay 35-50 eggs . There is a 65 day incubation period during which time the female stays close by the nest. The female knows the babies are ready to hatch when they begin making high-pitched grunting sounds . At this point she uncovers the nest for the babies to get out.
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Deuterostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Chordonia
()
- (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Phylum:
Chordata
()
- Bateson, 1885
- Chordates
- Subphylum:
Vertebrata
()
- Cuvier, 1812
- Vertebrates
- Infraphylum:
Gnathostomata
()
- Auct.
- Jawed Vertebrates
- Superclass:
Tetrapoda
()
- Goodrich, 1930
- Class:
Reptilia
()
- Reptiles
- Subclass:
Crocodylomorpha
()
- Hay, 1930 (Walker, 1968)
- Infraclass:
Archosauromorpha
()
- Order:
Crocodylia
()
- Gmelin, 1789
- Suborder:
Eusuchia
()
- Family:
Crocodylidae
()
- Genus:
Alligator
()
- Specific name:
mississipiensis
- (Daudin, 1801)
- Scientific name: - Alligator mississipiensis
- Specific name:
mississipiensis
- (Daudin, 1801)
- Genus:
Alligator
(
- Family:
Crocodylidae
(
- Suborder:
Eusuchia
(
- Order:
Crocodylia
(
- Infraclass:
Archosauromorpha
(
- Subclass:
Crocodylomorpha
(
- Class:
Reptilia
(
- Superclass:
Tetrapoda
(
- Infraphylum:
Gnathostomata
(
- Subphylum:
Vertebrata
(
- Phylum:
Chordata
(
- Infrakingdom:
Chordonia
(
- Branch:
Deuterostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Similar Species
Members of the genus Alligator
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 19 species and subspecies in this genus:
A. (Jacare) · A. chiapasius · A. cynocephalus · A. darwini · A. hantoniensis · A. latirostris · A. lucius · A. mcgrewi · A. mefferdi · A. missisippiensis · A. mississipiensis (Mississippi Alligator) · A. mississipp · A. mississippiensis (Mississippi Alligator) · A. olseni · A. prenasalis · A. punctulatus · A. sclerops · A. sinensis (Chinese Alligator) · A. thomsoni
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
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- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- A check list of North American amphibians and reptiles / by Leonhard Stejneger and Thomas Barbour. Cambridge: Harvard University Press; [etc., etc.]1923. ENG url p. 39, p. 44.
- A new fossil alligator from Nebraska / by Karl P. Schmidt. Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 1941. ENG url p. 30, p. 32.
- Allgemeine Zoologie und Abstammungslehre / von Ludwig Plate. Jena: Fischer, 1922-1924. GER url p. 239.
- Anatomische Hefte, München [etc.]J.F. Bergmann. GER url p. 485.
- Annales de l'Institut Pasteur. Paris: Masson, -1972. FRE url p. 320, p. 332, p. 805.
- Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, -1965. ENG url p. 100, p. 107, p. 107, p. 110, p. 112, p. 124, p. 125, p. 128, p. 135, p. 155, p. 158, p. 52, p. 72, p. 93, p. 96, p. 98.
- Asiatic herpetological research. Berkeley, Calif.: Asiatic Herpetological Research Society: c1990- ENG url p. 157, p. 160.
- Biology code of the Chemical-Biological Coordination Center... Washington, National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, 1960. ENG url p. 49.
- Bulletin biologique de la France et de la Belgique. Montreuil [etc.]Gauther-Villars [etc.] FRE url p. 220, p. 283.
- Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. Cambridge, Mass.: The Museum, ENG url p. 63.
- Comparative anatomy of vertebrates, adapted from the German of Dr. Robert Wiedersheim by W. N. Parker. London, Macmillan and co., limited, 1907. ENG url p. 381.
- Crocodile Specialist Group. For more information, see the Specialist Group website
- Delany, Michael F., Abercrombie, C.L. "American Alligator Food Habits in North Central Florida." The Journal of Wildlife Management. Vol.50 April86 p.348-353 1986.
- Handbuch der vergleichenden und experimentellen entwicklungslehre der wirbeltiere, bearb. von prof. dr. Barfurth [u.a.] hrsg. von Oskar Hertwig. Jena, G. Fischer, 1906. GER url p. 279, p. 316, p. 436.
- Handwörterbuch der Zoologie. Unter Mitwirkung von Prof. Dr. von Dalla Torre, bearb. von Dr. Friedrich Knauer. Stuttgart, F. Enke, 1887. GER url p. 22.
- L'Année biologique. Paris, Masson. FRE url p. 583.
- La Feuille des jeunes naturalistes. Paris: A. Dollfus, 1870-1914. FRE url p. 143.
- Lance, Valentine A. "Reproductive Cycle of the American Alligator" American Zoologist. Vol. 29 no.3 '89 p.999-1018. 1989.
- Name that animal; a guide to the identification of the common land and fresh-water animals of the United States, with special reference to the area east of the Rockies. With drawings by Olive Driver. [Northampton? Mass., 1950] ENG url p. 364.
- Postilla. New Haven, Peabody Museum of Natural History, 1950-2004. ENG url p. 51.
- Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. [Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia] ENG url p. 43, p. 51, p. 53.
- Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe. Wien: K.-k. Hof-und Staatsdruckerei in Commission bei Karl Gerold's Sohn, GER url p. 329, p. 652, p. 653.
- Studies on skeleton formation in reptiles. Olivier Rieppel. Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, c1992. ENG url p. 24.
- The Biological bulletin. Woods Hole, Mass.: Marine Biological Laboratory, ENG url p. 62.
- The reptiles of Ohio. Notre Dame, Ind., University of Notre Dame Press, c1951. ENG url p. 280, p. 6.
- The vitamin B complex. New York, Wiley, 1951. ENG url p. 484.
- Tulane studies in zoology. New Orleans, Tulane University. ENG url p. 241.
- Vertebrate ecology and systematics: a tribute to Henry S. Fitch / edited by Richard A. Seigel [et al]. Lawrence, Kan.: Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, 1984. ENG url p. 267, p. 84.
- Vorlesungen über vergleichende Anatomie, von Otto Bütschli. Berlin, J Springer, 1910- GER url p. 217, p. 440, p. 764, p. 770.
- Zoologischer Anzeiger. Jena, VEB Gustav Fischer Verlag. GER url p. 351, p. 447.
- Zoologischer Jahresbericht. Berlin, R. Friedlander. GER url p. 263, p. 79, p. 79.
- Zoologisches Centralblatt. Leipzig: W. Engelmann, [1894-1902] GER url p. 652.
Notes
Contributors
- Clark, M. A. WhoZoo.
- Crocodile Specialist Group 1996. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 18, 2008.
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2813218
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 14835548
- IUCN ID: 46583
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 2613558
Curator for this page: Marco de Andrade. Date last reviewed: 12/30/1899
