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An alligator, or colloquially gator, is a large reptile in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae of the order Crocodilia. The two extant species are the American alligator ( A. mississippiensis ) and the Chinese alligator ( A. sinensis ).
Jul 6, 2024 · Learn about alligator, a genus of two crocodilian species related to caimans, with a broad U-shaped snout and an overbite. Find out the differences between alligators and true crocodiles, their distribution, life span, behavior, and conservation status.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Alligators Are Ancient. Alligators, along with other crocodilians, have undergone very little evolutionary change since the time of the dinosaurs. American alligators appeared about 84 million years ago, and their ancestors evolved more than 200 million years ago.
- They Can't Survive in Salt Water. Unlike crocodiles, alligators don't have the glands to excrete salt from their bodies, so they can't swim in saltwater habitats like mangrove swamps.
- They Can Weigh More Than 1,000 Pounds. The largest alligator ever measured was 15 feet, nine inches long and weighed in at 1,011.5 pounds. This gator was caught in Mill Creek, a tributary of a river in Alabama.
- Their Sex Is Determined by Temperature. One of the weirder facts about alligators is that the sex of them is determined not by DNA but, rather, by climate.
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Jul 5, 2024 · The American alligator is a species of alligator inhabiting freshwater rivers, lakes, and swamps and brackish waters in the Southern United States and northeastern Mexico. It is one of the best-known living crocodilians.
- John P. Rafferty
Learn about the Alligator, a large reptile with a u-shaped snout and a broad body. Find out how it differs from crocodiles, what it eats, where it lives, and how it reproduces.
Learn about the characteristics and classification of an alligator, a carnivorous reptile with a long snout and powerful tail. Find out the differences between alligators and crocodiles, and the status of the two species of alligators.
Sep 14, 2023 · Learn about the origin, evolution, habitat, behavior, and conservation of alligators, the ancient crocodilian reptiles. Discover the differences between the American and Chinese alligators, and how they interact with humans.
