Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and the Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis). The alligator and also be found in Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, coastal South and North Carolina, Eastern Texas, southeast Oklahoma and southern Arkansas. The name alligator is an anglicized form of el lagarto, the Spanish term for "lizard", which early Spanish explorers and settlers in Florida called the alligator. There are many adaptations for the American alligator. Baby alligators have an egg tooth that helps them get out of their egg during hatching time. They also have a muscular flat tail that propels them forward while they swim. The alligator is notorious for its bone crushing bites. In addition, the alligator has been described as a "living fossil", having been extant for 200 million years, beginning in the Mesozoic Era. An average adult American alligator's weight and length is 800 pounds (360 kg) and 13 feet ( m) long[citation needed], but can grow to feet ( m) long and weigh 1,032 pounds (468 kg). According to the Everglades National Park website, the largest alligator ever recorded in Florida was 17 feet 5 inches ( m), although according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission web site the Florida state record for length is a 14 feet 5/8 inches ( m) male from Lake Monroe in Seminole County. The largest specimen ever recorded was found in Louisiana and measured 19 feet 2 inches ( m). The Chinese alligator is smaller, rarely exceeding 7 feet ( m) in length. Alligators have an average of 75 teeth.
Size: 4272px × 2848px
Location: Florida
Photo credit: © Richard Higgins / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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