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The sex of alligator hatchlings is dependent upon temperature during incubation.
photo: Tom Gillespie
Characteristics: These large, cold-blooded reptiles can be found in southern swamps, marshes, lakes, rivers and ponds. While the longest alligator on record measured 19 ft, most alligators grow to about 11 or 12 ft long.
These carnivores have powerful tails and strong jaws. Unlike the American Crocodile, an alligator has a large, broad snout and only its upper teeth show when its mouth is closed.
Diet: Alligators are carnivores that eat a wide variety of foods, depending upon their size. Young alligators eat crustaceans and snails while adult alligators eat fish, frogs, snakes, turtles, birds and other small mammals.
Reproduction: Female alligators construct large conical mounds from vegetation and carve out nests for their eggs. When young are ready to hatch, they call to their mother and she helps them out of the nest and into the water. The sex of alligator hatchlings is dependent upon temperature during incubation.
Environmental Connections: Once hunted for hides and food, the American Alligator came under federal protection in the 1960’s. Thanks to successful conservation efforts, some populations prospered and the status of this large reptile was changed from endangered to threatened.
Alligators have recovered from the brink of extinction but their continued survival depends upon conservation. Future threats to their survival include habitat destruction and increasing human encounters. Alligators that are fed by people often learn to associate humans with food, which can have fatal consequences for the alligator.
Alligators are important keystone species that have significant effects on the ecosystems in which they exist. In addition to being important predators, alligators alter the landscape by constructing mounds and digging gator holes.
Protecting the American Alligator means protecting the habitats in which they exist. No ecosystem stands alone, so it is important that we work to protect ecosystems on a global level.
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N.C. Zoo is a member institution of AZA and an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr. Secretary; Michael F. Easley, Governor. A part of the North Carolina Government portal.
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