This was a report that I wrote about the Alligator. I wrote this for my friend Lesley.

1. Customer: Lesley Mouradian
Animal: Alligator
Report by: Felicia Ferentinos
Alligator Report
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The Alligator is a carnivore which means it only eats meat. The
Alligator hunts alone which means that this animal is a solitary
animal. An animal that does not live in a group or family. An alligator
will eat fish small mammals and birds. Alligators usually hunt when it
gets dark out that means that the animal is nocturnal that means is
more active at night and it sleeps during the day. The types of food a
young alligator can are shrimp, snails, small fish, tadpoles and frogs.
Alligators can swallow their prey whole. Alligators have conical teeth
that helps the alligator chase their prey they will not tear up their prey
they will swallow it. An alligator has 80 teeth inside their mouth. When
some of the teeth gets lost then a new teeth will grow inside the
animal's mouth. An alligator can also eat a turtle to. Alligators do not
eat a lot of food that they eat because they are cold-blooded. Cold-
blooded animals do not eat as much as warm-blooded animals do
like birds and mammals. Cold-blooded means that a animal that
cannot control it's body temperature, but the animal must allow on the
heat of the sun to keep the animal warm. The fourth tooth of the
alligator is covered up. Alligators will eat anything that they can find.
A young alligator will feed on big fish like the gar; they can also eat
various mammals, birds and even other reptiles. An adult alligator will
eat razorbacks and deer they can sometimes kill a some of the
smallest alligators. Alligators have been known to kill bigger animals.
They have also been known to hunt the Florida Panther and black
bears. This makes the alligator the dominant predator all around its
environment. They also were known to kill pets and even people.
The Alligator is one of the world's most fearless hunters they use their
tremendous strength to pull all different types of animals that goes
underwater. Sometimes lions even become the prey for these
predators. They use their very long tails to be very powerful
swimmers. An alligator will sneak on its prey when the animal came
to drink from the water edge. This is what makes the prey so
vulnerable. Their skins can protect them when they are struggling
from their size. (A Male can grow about 15 feet and 500 pounds).
This is will make the alligator a powerful predator. Alligators live in
the southern of the United States and they can also live in Eastern

2. China. Both Alligators and crocodiles both live in North America,
South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Alligators have to live in
places that water can stay warm all year long in day. They love to go
in the water because it is cold. When night comes that is when the
water usually gets warm and in the air. Alligator can only live in colder
climates. An alligator habitat is in grassy swamps and in slow moving
rivers. The alligator usually live in fresh brackish water in swamps,
marshes, canals and in lakes. But the American alligator can be
found only on the southeastern part of the United States and the
Chinese alligator can only be found on the lower Yangtze River which
is located in China. The American Alligator lives in the South-eastern
of the United States all over Florida and in Louisiana. They can also
be found on North Carolina, eastern Texas, and the south eastern
corner of Oklahoma and in the Southern tip of Arkansas. The
American Alligator lives in Florida and in Louisiana with other millions
of different types of alligators can be found on two different states.
The American Alligator environment is in fresh water like ponds,
marhes, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and in swamps and also in brackish
environments. They can also be found in Southern Florida that is the
only place where alligators and crocodiles are known to live at the
same place. There two different subspecies of alligators that live on
two different countries which are the United States and China. The
Chinese alligator only lives in the River called Yangtze River valley
and the American Alligator is found on the United States the places
that they live on the United States are Carolina to Florida and also in
the Gulf Coasts. There are about 1 million alligators living in Florida.
The United States in the only place on earth that has both different
types of alligators and crocodiles. The Chinese alligator can only be
found on fresh water in the Yangtze River. The Chinese alligator lives
in a Rockefeller wildlife refuge that is located in southern Louisiana
they have 7 Chinese alligators that live in captivity. There are about
couple of dozen Chinese alligator’s live in the wild. There are a lot of
alligators living in zoos around the world then they are in the wild. The
American alligator can grow about 15 feet (4.6 meters). The
American alligator can weight about 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms).
The American alligator can also grow about 19 feet (3.5 m) long, and
up about 600 pounds (270kg). The Chinese alligator can grow about
6 feet long (1.8 m). The biggest alligator that has ever been recorded
was in Florida it grown about 17 feet 5 inches long (5.3 meters). The
other biggest alligator in the world that lives on Marsh Island.

3. Louisiana it can grow about 19 feet 2 inches (5.8 meters) long.
Alligators are very big reptiles. A male alligator can grow about 4.5
meters in a length. The female is lot smaller then the males are they
can grow between 3 to 3.5 meters long. The average weight of the
American alligator and the length is 800lbs and 13 feet long. The
Chinese alligator is lot smaller then its American cousin the Chinese
alligator can grow about 7 feet (2 meters) in a length. An alligator can
live about 30 to 60 years. Alligators can also live about 50 years old
and 20 years old in captivity. An alligator can live about 30 through 35
years in the wild. When the alligator is in captivity it can live about 50
years. One alligator that was named Muja was in the Belgrade zoo
which is located in Serbia since the zoo open on 1936 and this
alligator has lived for 70 years. Alligators and crocodiles kind a look
like when you fast lay your eyes on them. But both of them have
seven different things about the two. Here is a way that you can till
apart from a alligator from a crocodile is that alligators have a broad
that has a U shaped snouts the crocodiles broad has is more
narrower like a V shaped snouts. There are lots of difference
between alligators and crocodiles the real way to know the difference
is the characteristics of each species but there are some easier way
to till them apart is that the alligators jaw is shaped like a U and the
snouts or rounded. The crocodile’s jaws are lot bigger and longer
then the alligators because their jaws are shaped as a V instead of a
U. The other difference between alligator and crocodiles is that the
Crocodile has a fourth lower jaw that can stick up over the upper lip
and the alligators has fourth teeth that is covered all over the mouth.
They are also different by the habitats that they live in like the
crocodile usually lives in saltwater. The Crocodile also has special
glands that are in the tongue that can get rid of the saltwater that gets
inside the mouth. The Alligator can do this to but the alligator likes to
live in freshwater instead of saltwater. The alligator has upper teeth
which can be seen when their jaws are closed and the crocodiles
have upper and lower jaws when it opens its mouth. The Alligators
broader snout and the eyes are more dorsally located then what the
crocodiles have. All different species both of different darker colors on
their skin. When alligators get light on them their eyes can change
into red this can help by finding an alligator in the dark. A big
alligator’s eye will glow red and the smallest species of alligator their
eyes will glow green when a light lands on them. This is known to find
Alligators in the dark. The Chinese alligator is much too small then

4. the American species they can reach about 7 feet long. These
animals also live in freshwater ponds and in swamps in China.
Alligators do not live in a group or a family that means that this animal
is a solitary creature and they are also territorial animals to. Both
species of alligator male and female both of them protect their
territory from other alligators that want to take over it. Small species
of alligator have a high tolerance of other alligators that has the same
class as they do that also means the same size to. The Unbeatable
bite of an alligator can be 3,000 per square inch. The most powerful
bite that has been recorded was the American Alligator their bite is as
powerful then any other animal in the animal kingdom. A male
alligator can grow about 15 feet and 500 pounds. When you think of a
scary animal the crocodile and the alligator will be the first animals in
your mind. These reptiles remind us of dragons that are in our
imaginations. The group of alligators, crocodiles and caiman that is
called Crocodilians. They used to live with the dinosaurs that used to
be around in million years ago. Alligators have very special calls that
can be heard during the mating season and to protect their territory.
When this happens baby alligators will grunt alert to the mother
sensing that danger is near. The alligator is an apex predator in the
animal's environment that is also known to hunt other animals that
are bigger then they are. An alligators DNA has the same date back
when before the dinosaur times which means that the alligators are
still living and the dinosaurs did not live. The scientific estimates have
first dated the species in 150 million years ago. There are about 23
different species of crocodiles and alligators and all of them are all
divided into three groups which are the alligators, the crocodiles and
gharials. The alligator’s family has the caimans and the alligators in it
they can reach about three to thirteen feet long. The crocodile lives in
saltwater and the animals that are in their group are the Nile, the New
Guinea, and the American crocodile. The gharial has it own group
that it lives in and this family only has the gharial in this family these
animals have a very long snout that has a pot like tip on it. They use
their snouts to catch fish. An alligator can have about 75 or 80 teeth
in the mouth. When the teeth are wear out then they will be replaced
with new teeth. Alligator’s teeth can go for 2,000 to 3,000 teeth in a
lifetime. Both alligators and crocodiles can both walk on land and in
the water. When they are on land then they will walk very slowly and
they drag their tails or they sometimes raise their bodies and tails off
of the ground and they can also walk on their toes by using their high

5. walk. They can only gallop surprisingly fast they can only do this in a
straight line and only in a short distance because they can get tried
easily that way. Both the alligator and the crocodile can both float in
the water by just using their eyes and nostrils on top of the water.
These animals have a flap which can close the alligator’s mouth so it
can breathe through its nose. A alligator can stay and dive under the
water by only for a seven minutes. Some alligators have been known
to hold their breath by only for as long as five hours. A alligator can
use their long tails that have very good muscles in them they can use
them to propel their selves in the water. When they are swimming
they will hold their sides of their body so that they can create a
streamlined shape that can help them glide through the water.
Alligators have very good sense that can help them find their food.
Alligators have a very special sense that can help them to detect any
movement in the water. On their mouth there is a small sensors that
is scattered over the animal's face they have this because so that
they can detect the smallest vibrations that is caused by the
movement of the animal that is moving in close and the animals that
are near the water. The alligator eyes are covered by three different
eyelids. The third eyelid is called the transparent this eyelid helps
keep the eyes safe from getting any water in them. Alligators have
catlike pupils that can get bigger when it gets dark so that they can
see well. An alligator can not see will when it is underwater. Alligators
will mate under the water. A male can attract a female by using a
special roaring call. An alligator mother will lay twenty-five or 60 eggs
they will be laid by only one female in each season. These eggs are
laid in an enormous nest constructed of vegetation and even mud to.
The mother will stay with her babies until they can reach about three
years. The animals that are in the Crocodilian family their babies get
good care from their mothers. A female will build a nest and they can
also protect their eggs from predators that might want to eat them. If
the babies are having a hard time getting out of the eggs then their
mother will help them get out of the egg shell. The babies will follow
their mother just like ducklings will follow their mother. The crocodilian
babies will follow their mother into the water they will stay really close
to their mother so that they can get good protection for the first few
months of the babies’ lives. The eggs of alligator or a crocodile will
remain in the nest in about two or three months it depends in the
species of alligator and crocodile. A baby alligator will make a lot of
high-pitched sounds inside the egg. The younger’s use this call to till

6. their mom that their are about to hatch. The mother will use her legs
to dig the nest so that she can help her babies to the surface. Then
this often happens a lot the mother will push her snout into the nest
so that she can find her babies. An alligator or crocodile can break
their shell by using a special egg tooth that is on the end of their jaw.
Alligators will start to mate during the spring when the waters get
really warm. Alligators can be very seasonal breeders. A female
alligator can build a nest out of vegetation that can rot and that can
incubating the eggs. The mother will protect her young and her nest
from meat-eaters and animals that might assist the babies to the
water when they are ready to come out of their shell. The mother will
protect her young for about a year if they still live in the same area.
Sometimes when the babies can not get out of their shells their
mothers help them get out of the egg shell by gently taking the eggs
from her mouth and rolling them backward and forward they can do
this by using their tongues this will allow the egg to open and then the
babies can break free. Alligators will start to mate in the spring when
it is April through May. A mother alligator can lay about 10 to 50 eggs.
The size of a baby alligator is to 2 ounces (56 grams). When they are
ready to mate they will make a noisy mating rituals or coupling, an
alligator egg can be big as (three feet tall and six feet wide). An
alligator can also make a nest by using mud, leaves and twigs so that
she can dry the ground. Mother alligators don't sit on their eggs
instead of sitting on them they would crush the eggs. The
temperature of a nest it really depends on the sex of the babies. The
rotting vegetation that is in the nest keeps the eggs warm. When the
temperature is below 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius)
then the alligator will be a female if the temperature is 93 degrees
Fahrenheit (34 degrees Celsius) then the alligator will be a male. The
mother’s job is to guard her babies and the nest from predators. The
eggs will start to hatch in about 2 months. They will start to be
produce when they reach about 6 inches long (15 cm). A group of
alligator babies is called a pod and they will be protected by their
mother when they reach about a year. The alligator is a well known
and the most nurturing then all of the other reptiles on this earth.
When a alligator is young it will start to eat insects, shrimps, snails,
small fish, tadpoles and frogs. A young alligator will also start to eat
crustaceans for their first meal of their lives. Alligators will reach
maturity when they are 4 or 7 years old. Alligators will start to mate
during the spring when the alligator does find a mate then they

7. usually come together is a big group so that they can find a good
partner to mate with. An alligator will ay about 50 eggs. They will start
to hatch after 2 months during the incubation period this is taking
place in the rotting vegetation that is in the nest. The mothers will not
brother her eggs are they will break. But her main job is to watch her
nest from any predators that would try to eat her eggs. A baby
alligator can grow about 15 to 20 long. When the babies are hatched
they can be very vulnerable so they will need protection from their
mother so they can predation of the number of species. The babies
will stay with the mother for the first 2 years of their lives. The
American alligator were endangered once because of the help of the
protection plans, management and captive propagation has stopped
the American alligator from going extinct. The American alligator is
not endangered anymore. After the prohibition for hunting alligators in
Florida the American alligator’s population future is growing again
which means that this animal is not endangered. But the American
Alligators cousin is still endangered though the Chinese alligator is
still endangered. They are still vulnerable today. But there are some
species of alligator that are still endangered today. The animal’s
future rests in human hands. There are some countries in the world
that have been a aside for land these animals so that these animals
can live in peace and lots of people in the government have been
making laws so that they can control the hunting that is going on with
them. People have been killing the alligators to make shoes and
handbags that are from the alligator’s skin. The reason why the
Chinese alligator is endangered because they are losing their
habitats because people are building homes and farms over their
habitats. People are killing alligators because they are killing their
pets and do cause human kills to the reason why alligators kill people
because people are walking over their territory or if the animal feels it
is being threatened. Hunting for the American alligator has ended in
the last century. The only problem lifted for the American alligator is
that their habitat and their population is starting to be bad They can
also kill livestock when they get a close up to a human .Together we
can save these amazing creatures that lives in the swamps in Florida
and some parts of Asia together we can make a difference. That is
what I know about alligators