American Alligator
Alligator mississippiensis
Description 2
The average size for an adult female is just under 3 meters (9.8 feet), while the adult male usually falls between 4 and 4.5 meters (13 to 14.7 feet). Legs of American alligators are short and the front legs have five toes while the back legs have only four. Nostrils at the end of the snout allow for breathing while the alligator is otherwise fully submerged beneath the water's surface. Adult males and females have an olive brown or black color with a creamy white underside. The young can be distinguished from adults because they have bright yellow stripes on their tails.
Habitat 3
American alligators are usually found in freshwater swamps, marshes, rivers, lakes, and occasionally, smaller bodies of water.
Conservation status 4
American alligators are listed as threatened by the federal government because they are similar in appearance to American crocodiles (Crocodylus_acutus). American crocodiles are endangered and the government does not want hunters to confuse the two species. Hunting is allowed in some states, but is is heavily controlled.IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: lower risk - least concernUS Federal List: threatened
Sources and Credits
- (c) Ryan Somma, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/14405058@N08/3414352585
- Adapted by okaloosascience from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31375830
- Adapted by okaloosascience from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31375829
- Adapted by okaloosascience from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/25063106
