The American alligator is a living relic of the age of dinosaurs, belonging to an archosaur lineage that has remained relatively unchanged for over 200 million years. Hunted nearly to extinction by the 1960s, the American alligator became one of conservation’s great success stories after being listed under the Endangered Species Act — today the population exceeds one million. Alligators are keystone species that create and maintain vital wetland habitats; their wallowing excavates depressions called gator holes that retain water during droughts, sustaining fish, birds, and other wildlife.
About the Alligator
Alligator mississippiensis
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💡 Fun Facts
01
American alligators were among the first species protected under the US Endangered Species Act and recovered from near-extinction to over one million individuals.
02
Alligators can grow new teeth throughout their lives — a single individual may go through 3,000 teeth over a lifetime.
03
The sex of alligator hatchlings is determined entirely by nest temperature: above 34°C produces males; below 30°C produces females.
04
Alligators cannot fully regulate their own body temperature and may freeze in cold water, exposing just their nostrils — a behavior called icing.
05
An alligator's bite force is the strongest measured of any animal on Earth — up to 9,452 Newtons — yet the muscles opening the jaw are so weak they can be held shut by a rubber band.
📍 Where to Find This Animal
Habitat Types:
Freshwater Wetlands, Swamps
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