There are only two living species: A. mississipiensis, the Mississippi alligator of the southern states of the United States, and A. sinensis from the swamps of the lower Chang Jiang River in China.
The name alligator is an anglicized form of "el lagarto," the Spanish term for "lizard", which early Spanish explorers and settlers in Florida called the alligator. While the big lizards were for a time referred to as "lagartos," the "el" accompanied often enough that it became an inseparable part of the English word.
ALLIGATORS IN HISTORY
The earliest recorded form of alligator that is similar to ours appears in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: "In his needie shop a tortoyrs hung. An Allegater stuft."
The Marquis de Lafayette gave President John Quincy Adams a pet alligator. The alligator lived in the White House for several months.
An alligator named Ben appeared in over 400 films in the first half of the 20th century. The reptile began appearing in movies in 1909,. Trained by Tom Reed, Ben earned $100 a day (equivalent to $1,420 in 2019) for his services.
Muja is an American alligator at Belgrade Zoo in Serbia, who is the oldest living alligator in the world. Muјa arrived in Belgrade with another alligator, his mate, on September 12, 1936. from Germany. He not only survived World War II, (where the Belgrade zoo was almost totally destroyed) but also the 1999 NATO bombings during the war in Serbia, 54 years later. There are no records of his date of birth but Muja is estimated to be at least 85 years old.
Saturn, an American Alligator born in 1936, is the subject of an urban myth that he was once Adolf Hitler's "pet alligator." He was gifted to the Berlin Zoo in 1936, escaped during the allied bombing in 1943. British soldiers found Saturn three years later and gifted him to the Soviet Union. He died at Moscow Zoo on May 22, 2020 when was approx 83 years old.
Muja is an American alligator at Belgrade Zoo in Serbia, who is the oldest living alligator in the world. Muјa arrived in Belgrade with another alligator, his mate, on September 12, 1936. from Germany. He not only survived World War II, (where the Belgrade zoo was almost totally destroyed) but also the 1999 NATO bombings during the war in Serbia, 54 years later. There are no records of his date of birth but Muja is estimated to be at least 85 years old.
Saturn, an American Alligator born in 1936, is the subject of an urban myth that he was once Adolf Hitler's "pet alligator." He was gifted to the Berlin Zoo in 1936, escaped during the allied bombing in 1943. British soldiers found Saturn three years later and gifted him to the Soviet Union. He died at Moscow Zoo on May 22, 2020 when was approx 83 years old.
Lorne Greene had one of his nipples bitten off by an alligator while he was host of Lorne Greene's Animal Kingdom.
ALLIGATOR FUN FACTS
The alligator is the state reptile of Florida.
An estimated five million American alligators are spread out across the southeastern United States.
The majority of American alligators inhabit Florida and Louisiana, with over a million alligators in each state.
South Florida is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist in the wild.
An estimated five million American alligators are spread out across the southeastern United States.
The majority of American alligators inhabit Florida and Louisiana, with over a million alligators in each state.
South Florida is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist in the wild.
The Archbishop of New Orleans ruled in 2010 that Alligator meat is classified as fish, so Catholics can eat it on Fridays during Lent.
In Florida, it is a misdemeanor of the second degree to intentionally feed a wild alligator.
An alligator has about 80 teeth in its mouth at one time and can go through over 2,000 teeth in a lifetime.
An alligator's sex is based on the average temperature of the egg during incubation. Temperatures over 93 degrees F (33.9 C) will produce only males and below 86 degrees F (30.0 C) only females. The mother can sense these changes in temperature and will alter the nest to maintain an optimum temperature.
Alligators lay their eggs in waterside nests of mud and vegetation and are good mothers.
Alligators in Louisiana have learned to balance sticks on their heads for hunting purposes. They specifically do it during egret and heron nesting season, when the birds are actively searching for nest materials.
When resting, alligators can lower their heart rate down to as low as two beats per minute.
The Mississippi alligator is the largest reptile in North America. Male alligators average 8 to 10 feet long, while females tend to be slightly smaller.
The largest alligator ever recorded was found in Louisiana and measured 19 feet 2 inches (5.84 metres).
An alligator can go two years without feeding by burning fat reserves at the base of its tail.
Alligators have an incredibly resilient immune system. They don't get serious infections from cuts and bruises even while living in bacteria infested swamps.
ANATOMY AND BEHAVIOR
An alligator has about 80 teeth in its mouth at one time and can go through over 2,000 teeth in a lifetime.
An alligator's sex is based on the average temperature of the egg during incubation. Temperatures over 93 degrees F (33.9 C) will produce only males and below 86 degrees F (30.0 C) only females. The mother can sense these changes in temperature and will alter the nest to maintain an optimum temperature.
Alligators lay their eggs in waterside nests of mud and vegetation and are good mothers.
Alligators in Louisiana have learned to balance sticks on their heads for hunting purposes. They specifically do it during egret and heron nesting season, when the birds are actively searching for nest materials.
When resting, alligators can lower their heart rate down to as low as two beats per minute.
The Mississippi alligator is the largest reptile in North America. Male alligators average 8 to 10 feet long, while females tend to be slightly smaller.
The largest alligator ever recorded was found in Louisiana and measured 19 feet 2 inches (5.84 metres).
An alligator can go two years without feeding by burning fat reserves at the base of its tail.
Alligators have an incredibly resilient immune system. They don't get serious infections from cuts and bruises even while living in bacteria infested swamps.
No comments:
Post a Comment