Mississippi State Reptile
American Alligator (common name) Alligator mississippiensis (scientific name) Status: official Overview The American alligator is native to the wetlands of the southern United States. Alligators depend on wetlands for survival, but they’re also important to the wetlands because as predators, they keep the population of animals that might otherwise overtax the local vegetation in check. The American alligator was designated the state reptile of Mississippi in 2005, Louisiana in 1983, and Florida in 1987. ALSO KNOWN AS Gator Close-up PHYSICAL DETAILS This alligator has a wide head, a big body that is somewhat rounded, thick legs, and a long, pointed, powerful tail that makes up about half the animal's total length and more than a quarter of its body mass. The quality of the water an alligator lives in affects its coloring. Algae in the water makes its skin more green, while tannin makes it darker. As a result, an alligator’s rough, scaly skin may be deep olive, gray, brown, or almost black on its back, but its belly is much paler, usually off-white. American alligators have five-clawed front feet and four-clawed back feet.    Males Females Size average length 11.2–14.5 ft (3.4–4.4 m); largest 16 feet (4.85 m) average length 8.2–9.8 ft (2.5–3 m) Weight average 450–500 lbs (200–230 kg); largest 1,200 lbs (510 kg) average 400–475 lbs (180–215 kg) LIFESPAN Up to 30 years HABITAT Warm wetland habitats including swamps, lakes, and canals. Alligators prefer fresh water but will occasionally live in brackish water. Range: Southeastern United States, from the Great Dismal Swamp in North Carolina and Virginia south to the Florida Everglades National Park and west to the eastern edge of Texas. Florida and Louisiana presently have the most alligators, with 1 to 1.5 million in Florida and 1.5 to 2 million in Louisiana. Conservation status: Least Concern (LC). Though alligators were hunted almost to extinction in the past, they have successfully repopulated and are no longer on the list of endangered species. BEHAVIOR Alligators swim quickly and are usually much slower on land, though they can lunge with surprising speed and run short distances very quickly. They are carnivorous, and adults will eat almost any animal that comes into range. Alligators breed in springtime. Males attract mates and warn competitors away by breathing in large amounts of air and blowing it out to make a roaring or bellowing noise. They can also use infrasound for this purpose. After mating, females build nests near or in water. The female lays 20 to 50 white eggs similar in size to goose eggs, then buries them under mulch that decays, keeping the eggs warm. Nest temperature determines hatchlings’ sex. Males develop at 90–93°F (32.2–33.8°C) and females at about 82–86°F (27.7–30°C). Temperatures between those ranges produce a mixed nest of males and females. The mother stays close to the nest for 65 days while the eggs incubate and defends the nest as needed. Young stay with their mother for roughly five months. They are mature and ready to start breeding at between 8 and 13 years old. Females tend to keep the same breeding partner for years, though males may mate with more than one female. Top land speed recorded: 30 mph (48 kph) DIET Fish, mollusks, frogs, and mammals such as mice and rats; sometimes snakes, turtles, birds, raccoons, and deer; more occasionally razorback pigs, cows, sheep, and smaller alligators. In rare cases they have been known to eat Florida panther or American black bear. OFFSPRING Breeding interval: Annual Hatching period: May–June Average nest size: 20–50 eggs Size at birth: 8 in (20 cm) long TRIVIA Alligators can use their strong tails as weapons when they feel intimidated or need to defend themselves. American alligators have the most powerful bite of any modern animal, measured at up to 9,452 newtons in laboratories. Alligators don’t have vocal cords.
	Click to enlarge an image American Alligator Close-up of American Alligator Juvenile American Alligator CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Crocodilia Family: Alligatoridae Genus: Alligator Species: A. mississippiensis
	Raw Data Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Author: World Trade Press