Alligators

1. Alligators Meghan Burton

2. Some Quick Facts • There were alligators living on the Earth 270 million years ago • In 1967 they were put on the endangered species list, but recently in 1987 they were taken off the list because of their growing population • In the wild they can live to be between 35 to 50 years old, in a zoo they can live to be 60 to 80 years old • You can tell the difference between alligators and crocodiles by the shape of their heads

3. Where do they Live? • North American Alligators live in southern United States • States like Florida, Texas and Louisiana, but mostly in Florida • They are usually found in fresh water (that means no salt, so they stay away from the oceans. • Alligators are mostly found in rivers, • lakes, streams and swamps • There is also a different kind of • alligator that can be found in China

4. What do they eat? • Alligators hunt from under the water so they wait for something to come close to the surface to catch • Mainly they eat small lizards, birds, fish and snakes • But they will eat almost anything that come there way, they’ll even eat other small alligators if they are hungry enough

5. What do they look like? • They are darker in color, almost black, that’s how you know its not an crocodile • They grow to be about 13 feet in length, but some can grow to be 18 feet long that’s huge • An alligators tails is half of the alligators complete length. That means that if an alligator is 16 feet long altogether, its tail is 8 feet of its total length • Alligators can also weigh from 450 to 600 pounds

6. Here are more websites about alligators Living with Alligators www.tpwd.state.tx.us/expltx/eft/bbsp/alligators.htm All About Alligators- Enchanted Learning Software

7. Try this worksheet to see what you learned alligatorsworksheet.pdf Be sure to check your answers with the link below Alligator worksheet answers