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  Alligators

• The scientific name for the American alligator is: Alligator Mississippiensis.
• The common name Alligator comes from the Spanish; el lagarto, meaning "lizard"  This Spanish phrase mispronounced in English came to be "Alligator".
• Alligator breeding season in Florida begins in April and runs through the end of May.
• The female alligator begins building a nest.  This is also called a mound.
• The female alligator lays eggs over a two week period in June.
• The female alligator lays about 35 to 40 eggs.  This is called a "clutch"
• Alligator eggs are creamy white in color.  These eggs are about the size of a goose egg.
• Baby alligators emerge from their egg after about 65 days.
• The mother alligator protects the nest.
• The mother alligator will actually assist the hatchlings to break out of their shells.  The mother hears the baby grunt form inside the shell.  She will then lift the egg in her mouth and roll it around against the roof of her mouth with her tongue.  This cracks the egg and the little one is able to escape.
• The mother alligator will often carry the new born to the water.
• Alligator mothers often remain with their young for several months.
• While the eggs are incubating, higher temperatures, of 90 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit result in males while slightly cooler temperatures, 82 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit result in females.  This temperature variation will affect the determination of the sex of the incubating alligator in the first half of incubation.
• Turtles will lay their eggs on top of an alligator mound.  Possibly for protection of their eggs.
• 60 to 80% of newborns are male according to samples taken in the wild.
• Alligators become sexually mature at 6 feet.
• Males alligators grow slightly faster than females until about the length of six feet.
• Alligators vocalize.  The males and females produce a bellowing sound.  Males actually sound different from the females.  
• Baby alligators make a grunting sound.
• If a baby issues a distress call, which is a series of grunt sounds, the mother alligator or other adults will respond quickly to the aid of the babies.
• Vocal sounds are of low frequency and can travel over long distances with little distortion.  Underwater, these sounds may travel even four times further.
• Alligators as very efficient swimmers, are the "ballet performers" of the Everglades.  They streamline themselves by holding their legs close to their body and push themselves through the water with "S" movements of their tail.
• Alligators can "tail walk".  They can leap quickly out of the water and almost look like a dolphin.
• The alligator has a four chambered heart like a mammal.  They and other crocodilians are the only reptiles with four chambered hearts.
• Alligator teeth continue to be replaced by newer ones.  This occurs every two years.  Teeth in the front are replaced more often than teeth to the rear of the mouth.  Alligator teeth are hollow.
• Alligators are opportunistic hunters.  They wait for their food to come to them.  If something that looks appetizing swims by; the alligator with a quick burst of energy will seize its prey.
• The alligator stomach is the most acidic of any of the vertebrates.  The alligator can digest 100% of bone that it ingests.  
• Alligators can go for long periods between meals.  It is believed that an alligator can survive without eating, for up to a year or even longer.
• Alligators grow approximately a foot per year for the first six years.
• "Gator Holes" - deep holes dug by alligators in the Everglades (sometimes over many years) hold water in the dry season.  These holes allow fish and other aquatic creatures to survive in these extreme dry conditions.  This gator hole also provides a source of drinking water for other animals.

Cool stories about alligators

According to John Brickell in a story on alligators published in "The Natural History of North Carolina" in 1737, reported that alligators frequently killed dogs and pigs.  In his opinion, they developed a real taste for dogs.

The dogs of the Native Americans outwitted alligators.  They were well aware of the dangers of alligators, or so it seemed.  A pack of dogs wishing to cross the Mississippi would approach the banks and bark loudly.  They would also slap the water with their paws to attract the alligators from the area.  When the alligators congregated in the area that the dogs attracted them to, they (dogs) ran farther down the river bank and crossed at a safe distance from the deceived alligators. 

Large alligator teeth were used for powder chargers for musket rifles.  These hollow teeth held the right "powder charge" for the rifles.  Hunters would inscribe beautiful scenes on these alligator teeth powder charge holders. 

During the civil war, the south was cut off from supplies by the north.  Shoe leather like other commodities was in short supply.  Alligator hides were used as a replacement for leather in the manufacture of shoes and boots for Confederate soldiers. 

In the middle of the 1800's, alligator teeth mounted in decorative settings were used as baby pacifiers.  Often times, the alligator tooth was highly polished white and set in silver.  The tooth was hung around the babies neck and rubbed against the little one's gums when they were cutting teeth.  Some even thought that the energy from the alligators powerful jaws could be absorbed by the infants delicate jaw taking the pain away.  

Helpful Hint About Alligators:

If you are being chased by an alligator and you are with a friend.........

Stay ahead of your friend!

Alligator Picture Page

Stay tuned for "Part Two" on Dija Know about alligators?