Beware the American Alligator, Nature's Formidable River Predator

by Joseph Zheng, age 9

When you are walking along a river, be alert because you might come face to face with an American alligator.

This beast has powerful teeth hiding in its mouth and hard scales that protect it. This wild creature has sturdy limbs to attack its prey, and their eyes help them see their prey while swimming. The snout of an American alligator is broader and rounder than a typical crocodile.

The gator’s prey are amphibians, mammals, and other domestic animals. With all that food, the American alligator can weigh up to 500 pounds. A female alligator is seven feet long and males are between 11 to 12 feet. They can survive up to 50 years in captivity.

American alligators live in the southeastern side of the United States, in states such as South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The largest populations of these alligators are in the Louisiana Bayous, Florida Everglades, and the Mississippi River. They can usually live in cold environments during the winter, but can sometimes freeze in the ice. The gators create an air hole, in the ice that helps them survive until the ice melts. American alligators may sometimes confuse the sounds of jackhammers, jet engines, horns, and pneumatic drills as calls of other alligators, so they will hiss in response. Female alligators will guard their young from other alligators for several years.

The American alligator is a powerful creature that you need to be cautious of if you are near their habitat.

[Source: World's Scariest Snakes and Reptiles]