There are only two countries on Earth, where alligators live: the USA and China. Although alligators have heavy bodies and slow metabolism, they are able to run at short distances with a speed that can exceed 30 miles per hour.
Although alligators are often confused with crocodiles, they belong to two completely different taxonomic families and differ from each other like people from gorillas.
The first sign on which you can distinguish between alligators and crocodiles is that the alligators have a U-shaped head, and crocodiles have a V-shaped one.
Alligators in the wild are believed to live 35 to 50 years. In captivity their life can be much longer, up to 60-80 years.
Crocodiles and alligators open their jaws in different ways. The crocodile jaws are hinged and they open the upper jaw, while the alligators open the lower jaw.
Alligators do not have immunity from snake venom. However, they have very tough skin, and armored backs protected by bone plates. It is possible that it can protect against penetration into the skin of the fangs of a snake.
Alligators are amazing reptiles, having survived almost unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs, they appeared 200 million years ago. The relationship between alligators and man goes back thousands of years into history.
The first inhabitants of Florida hunted alligators for meat production.
Young alligators have yellow stripes on the tail, and in the process of growth these bands become darker.
We want to dispel the myth of alligators, which says that they allegedly attack people. They can attack a person only when they protect their eggs or cubs, but this happens very rarely.
Alligators live in freshwater ecosystems, such as lakes, rivers and wet, viscous swamps.
In winter, alligators are hibernating, and they are less dangerous than crocodiles.
In summer, the female alligator lays eggs in a nest located on a high bank near the water: at a time they can lay up to 30 eggs!
The length of the largest ever-existing alligator was 5.85 meters: it was found in the state of Louisiana in the early 1900’s. Since then, people no longer met a larger alligator.
Alligators can live without food for 3 to 4 days.
The average life expectancy of an alligator is 50 years.
Most American alligators live in Florida and Louisiana – each state has more than one million individuals.
Alligators eat fish, turtles, birds, carrion and small mammals.
When the light falls on the alligator, the eyes of a large specimen turn red, while the eyes of the younger representative are green.
There are only two countries on Earth, where alligators live: the USA and China. Although alligators have heavy bodies and slow metabolism, they are able to run at short distances with a speed that can exceed 30 miles per hour.
