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American Alligator

Alligator mississippiensis

Photo by DanAm
Published on Project Noah
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28.8188, -81.6757

Field Notes

Description:

Adults are darker with a rounded u-shaped snout while juveniles will have black and yellow stripes. American Alligators can average a length ranging from 9-12 feet but will continue growing throughout their lives.

Habitat:

American alligators reside nearly exclusively in the freshwater rivers, lakes, swamps, and marshes of the southeastern United States, primarily Florida and Louisiana.

Notes:

"The American alligator is a rare success story of an endangered animal not only saved from extinction but now thriving. State and federal protections, habitat preservation efforts, and reduced demand for alligator products have improved the species' wild population to more than one million and growing today."
"Adult alligators are apex predators critical to the biodiversity of their habitat. They feed mainly on fish, turtles, snakes, and small mammals. However, they are opportunists, and a hungry gator will eat just about anything, including carrion, pets and, in rare instances, humans."
~http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/american-alligat…

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Photographed
PublishedMay 21, 2013

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