Florida Alligator Information
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Central Florida Alligator facts brought to you by Tom & Jerrys Airboat Rides. When you take an airboat
ride
with Tom and Jerrys you will see lots of gators and wildlife. Here you will get the information
in advance before starting your alligator sightseeing tours. Alligators are a big
part of the Florida ecotourism so bring your camera and get
some pictures of gators in their natural habitat.
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SCIENTIFIC NAME
: Alligator
Mississippiensis
OTHER NAMES :
Alligator, Gator, Florida Gator, Florida Alligator
RANGE :The range of
the American Alligator extends south from coastal swamps in
North and South Carolina to the tip of southern Florida,
then west along the Gulf Coast to the mouth of the Rio
Grande. Alligators range inland throughout the southern
coastal flatland.
HABITAT: Alligators live in
freshwater lakes, rivers, and swamps. They occasionally live
in brackish water.
DESCRIPTION:
The average size for an adult female American alligator is 8.2 feet (2.6
m), and the average size for a male is 11.2 feet (3.4 m). Exceptionally
large males can reach a weight of nearly half a ton or 1,000 pounds.
Both males and females have an "armored" body with a muscular flat tail.
The skin on the back is armored with embedded bony plates called
Buttons. They have four short legs; the front legs have
five toes while the back legs have four toes.
Alligators have a long wide snout with upward facing nostrils at the
end; this lets them breathe while the rest of the body is underwater.
The young can be distinguished from adults by the bright yellow stripes
on the tail; adults have dark stripes on the tail
SIZE:
The growth rate of alligators varies with food availability
and temperature. At the northern limits of its range, or
when food is scarce, alligators grow slowly. In Florida,
where food is abundant, young alligators can grow about one
foot (30 centimeters) per year with the greatest growth in
the first year.
The weight of an alligator in relation to its length can
vary greatly. One 11 foot 6 inch (3.5 meter) alligator
weighed 591 pounds (265 kilograms), whereas another
alligator measuring 12 feet 1 inch (3.7 meters) weighed only
460 pounds (209 kilograms).
On land alligators can lumber along dragging their tails, or
they can walk on their toes with heels of the hind feet and
most of the tail well off the ground. Using this "high walk"
alligators can run up to 30 miles per hour (38 kHz) for
short distances!
FLORIDA RECORD: 17 feet 5 inches long
FOOD VALUE:
Food value of the alligator is excellent. The tail is sought
after as a delicacy in the south. The hide is also valued in the textile
industry for making boots, purses, wallets and other items.
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