An alligator has about 60 teeth, but it will have up to 3 000 teeth throughout its lifetime.
The American alligator has a dark long greyish body covered with thick scales which gives it a prehistoric look. The scales are bony plates that insure protection against dehydration. This reptile is adapted to live in water and on land with its long tail that enables it to swim and its short legs enable it to crawl on land. Because the nostrils are located on top of the nose, the alligator can breath with its submerged body and will remain well camouflaged with just its nose sticking out of the water. It can measure between 1,5 to 5,9 meters (5 to 19 feet) and weigh between 200 and 230 kg (440 to 500 lbs). It can live up to 62 years. It prefers wetlands like swamps and rivers in south eastern United States. It is a carnivore which feeds on a variety of preys like fish, mammals and turtles. It can swim silently without a ripple on the water as it closes in on a prey to surprise and leap on it in order to catch it.
The American alligator is a gregarious species that does not migrate. A group has a hierarchy, the dominant male will defend a group of females and protect a territory which comprises the nesting sites and food access against other males. Females will fight for the better nesting sites. Unlike other reptiles, the female has a well developed maternal instinct and will take care of the young. A female can lay from 25 to 60 eggs in a nest made of vegetation and soil. The young and eggs are the prey of many predators like the raccoon and snake. However, an individual of a meter long does not have any natural predator. It is hunted for its skin of which people make belts and purses.
The American alligator is not considered as an endangered species anymore, but hunting is illegal since this reptile could be mistaken for the American crocodile which is an endangered species.
American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis
