How far do alligators live north - how far do alligators live north

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American Alligator | National Wildlife Federation.Alligators in Virginia? Climate change could be pushing cold-blooded species into your backyard.

 

American alligators are large crocodilians found only in the United States. They can grow to be more than 12 feet 3. A long, powerful tail helps propel the animal through water, as do webbed feet. They are cold-blooded and depend on the natural world around them to provide warmth. To do this, they will bask in the sun or dig holes in mud to trap heat. Although American alligators can be hard to miss while basking on the shore, they can look eerily like logs when floating in the water.

A cousin of the alligator, the American crocodile, is very rare in the U. The best way to tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile is by looking at the mouth. Alligators have a wide, round snout, while crocodiles have a long, thin snout.

Crocodiles also have two large teeth that stick out when their mouth is closed. American alligators can be found in the coastal wetlands of the U. Southeast, as far north as North Carolina and as far west as eastern Texas. Their range extends down to southern Florida and includes the Everglades.

These reptiles are usually found in slow-moving freshwater rivers, but also inhabit swamps, marshes, and lakes. American alligators are carnivores. They eat fish , invertebrates , frogs, birds , and mammals. American alligators hunt predominantly at night. If large prey is captured, they drag it underwater, where it is drowned and devoured.

Additionally, American alligators have an adaptation in throat called a glottis. This allows them to capture prey completely submerged in water. Alligators have a variety of means of locomotion. They can swim, walk, run, and even crawl. Unlike most reptiles, alligators walk with their legs directly beneath them, as opposed to diagonal.

This allows them to lift their tails off of the ground while they move. As a cold-blooded reptile, alligators undergo dormancy when the weather becomes cold. They are known to dig tunnels 65 feet 20 meters long to protect themselves from extreme heat and cold. American alligators usually start reproducing at 10 to 12 years old.

They breed in shallow water, and after mating, the female begins building a nest out of nearby vegetation. A female can lay up to 90 eggs in her nest, which she then covers with more vegetation. Eggs hatch are incubating for roughly 65 days. Many young alligators are eaten by predators such as birds, snakes, fish, and mammals, but are usually safe after they reach four feet 1. These alligators can live to be 50 years old. American alligators were once threatened by extinction, but after being placed on the endangered species list in , their population increased.

This species is now classified as least concern. The main threat to these reptiles today is habitat loss caused by wetland drainage and development. The American alligator is an important keystone species of the Southeast. Alligators use their tails to dig burrows in mud for nesting and to keep warm. When an alligator abandons a burrow, the hole left behind fills with freshwater and is utilized by other species for breeding and drinking. If alligators are removed from their native ecosystem, it would affect countless other species.

An alligator can go through 3, teeth in a lifetime. A groundbreaking bipartisan bill aims to address the looming wildlife crisis before it's too late, while creating sorely needed jobs. More than one-third of U. We're on the ground in seven regions across the country, collaborating with 52 state and territory affiliates to reverse the crisis and ensure wildlife thrive.

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The National Wildlife Federation. American Alligator. American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis Status: Threatened. Classification: Reptile. Description American alligators are large crocodilians found only in the United States.

Range American alligators can be found in the coastal wetlands of the U. Diet American alligators are carnivores. Behavior Alligators have a variety of means of locomotion. Life History American alligators usually start reproducing at 10 to 12 years old. Conservation American alligators were once threatened by extinction, but after being placed on the endangered species list in , their population increased.

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