American+Alligator

media type="custom" key="3731265" //(Alligator mississippiensis)// //"Stick to leather, leave alligators alone. or they will eat you....."//
 * American Alligator** -

- amored reptile-like lizard - about 10-15 ft long - 1,000+ lbs. - agressive - supremely adapted swimmers - forcefull hunters
 * Physical description**-
 * Behavior-**

- They feed mainly on fish, turtles, snakes, and small mammals. - A hungry gator will eat just about anything, including carrion, pets and, in rare instances, humans.
 * Diet**-

- The temperature at which American alligator eggs develop determines their gender. - Those eggs which are hatched in temperatures ranging from 90 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit turn out to be male. - those in temperatures from 82 to 86 degrees Fehrenheit end up being female. - Intermediate temperature ranges have proven to yield a mix of both male and females. - Breeding takes place during the night, in shallow waters
 * Reproduction**-

American alligators are found from the southern Virginia-North Carolina border, along the Atlantic coast to Florida and along the Gulf of Mexico as far west as the Rio Grande in Texas.
 * Where are they found?**

American alligators are usually found in freshwater swamps, marshes, rivers, lakes, and occasionally, smaller bodies of water. mostly in the temperate tropical and freshwater environments. they also endure hibernation during freezing temperatures.
 * Habatat**

The alligator population had slowly decreased by the early 1940's. New hunting restrictions in the 1940's and 50's slowed the decline, however illegal poaching during the late 1950's and 60's resulted in a further decrease in most alligator populations.
 * Endangered Species List Addition?**

- illegaly hinting - meaningless self-defence - illegal poching - disrupting of habitat
 * Causes of Decline of Population[[image:http://www.greenexpander.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/gex-american-alligator.JPG width="282" height="196" align="right"]]**

Once on the very edge of extinction, well over a million alligators can be found today in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and Georgia reigons.
 * Estimated Population Today**

- mostly state parks - wildlife preserves - hunting laws - poching and illegaly trapping laws
 * What is Being Done to Help the American Alligator?**

The Endangered Species Act is a law that provides the conservation of species that are endangered or threatened throughout all or a significant area of were they live, and the conservation of the ecosystems on which they depend on.
 * What is the Endangered Species Act?**

[|http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov] [|http://agrigator.ifas.ufl.edu] animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/american-alligator.html
 * Special Links Related To This Topic**

Thank you.

-page edited by Alex Vincent, 9th grade, Tamaqua Area High School.