How long an alligator lives can vary upon the species and usually their environment plays a factor in the alligator’s age as well. Generally it is common for most alligators to live anywhere from 0-50 years. However, there have been alligators that have been recorded throughout history to live for much longer than that. One alligator was even recorded to reach the age of 103.

Alligators that live in captivity’s ages may vary. An important aspect of caring for a reptiles such as an alligator is to give serious consideration as to how long you will have to be responsible for it. A large alligator cannot be readily sold or given away, and although it may seem cool to own an alligator when you are younger, it may become more difficult to accommodate adequately 20 or 30 years from now when you are older.

As a general rule, the expected lifespan of American Alligators is about 50 years as mentioned above. It is around this time when they will often begin losing their teeth and showing signs of senility. The longest lived captive alligator on record died at 66 years at the Adelaide Zoo located in Australia in September of 1978. It is not uncommon for alligators to live for hundreds of years in nature.

Some alligators do build nests. It really just depends upon the species, the environment in which they reside, and what they prefer. Some alligators build nests while others prefer to just lay their eggs on land nearby the water near tall, soft grass for protection and easier access to food.

Mating season for alligators occurs from mid April through May. To attract females, males display behaviors such as slapping their heads on the water and producing a deep rumbling bellow. Once a male and female pair up, they will swim together, touch each other’s snouts, and blow bubbles. Mating takes place in the water and when it is completed the male disperses and the female is then left to search for a place to build a nest to lay her eggs.

Female alligators construct a nest by mounding up vegetation such as leaves, sticks, and mud in a sheltered spot in or near water. During this process females construct these nests by using their entire bodies and tail to clear an area. They use their jaws to gather and drag vegetation, and their hind legs are used to dig the hold in the mound for the eggs. After completing the nest, the female alligator can be found depositing all of her eggs (usually ranges anywhere from 20 to 50 eggs) at once and covers them up with more vegetation for incubation.

The female may move vegetation around in order to keep the eggs at a fairly constant temperature. The female alligators stay near the nest during the incubation period and actively defend it from predators. Raccoons are a common predator when it comes to alligator eggs. Females may be aggressive towards humans that come near the nest. They may be seen display behaviors such as hissing and charging intruders, it is for this reason that alligator nests should best be avoided and not approached for any reason.

An alligator’s eggs usually incubate for about 65 days. During this time, the alligator embryos develop and the sex is determined by the temperature at which the eggs were incubated. This is known as temperature dependent sex determination. A temperature of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) or below produces females and a temperature of 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher produces males. In between those temperatures at 32 degrees Celsius) 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit) there is usually a 50/50 chance of getting males or females.

Once incubation is complete and the hatchlings are ready to emerge from their eggs, they emit a “yerping” sound. A few hatchlings yerping stimulates the other hatchlings in the clutch to yerp as well. This then signals the female that the eggs are about to hatch so she carefully opens the nest. The hatchlings can then be found tearing through the leathery eggs with an egg tooth that they are equipped with. This egg tooth is located on the tip of their snout and will fall off after the alligator is a few days old. The mother alligator can also help the hatchlings emerge from their eggs by rolling the eggs between her tongue and palate. This helps to ensure that all of the eggs hatch at the same time. Hatchlings typically emerge from their eggs and then stay near the nesting site for a couple of years.

Mother alligators usually care for their young until they are about the age of 2. The reproduction process in alligators and the way in which they care for their young is quite interesting.

Mating season for alligators occurs from mid April through May. To attract females, males display behaviors such as slapping their heads on the water and producing a deep rumbling bellow. Once a male and female pair up, they will swim together, touch each other’s snouts, and blow bubbles. Mating takes place in the water and when it is completed the male disperses and the female is then left to search for a place to build a nest to lay her eggs.

Female alligators construct a nest by using their entire bodies and tail to clear an area. They use their jaws to gather and drag vegetation, and their hind legs are used to dig the hold in the mound for the eggs. After completing the nest, the female alligator can be found depositing all of her eggs (usually ranges anywhere from 20 to 50 eggs) at once and covers them up with more vegetation for incubation.

The female may move vegetation around in order to keep the eggs at a fairly constant temperature. The female alligators stay near the nest during the incubation period and actively defend it from predators. Raccoons are a common predator when it comes to alligator eggs. Females may be aggressive towards humans that come near the nest. They may be seen display behaviors such as hissing and charging intruders, it is for this reason that alligator nests should best be avoided and not approached for any reason.

An alligator’s eggs usually incubate for about 65 days. During this time the embryos develop and their sex is determined based upon the temperature in which they were incubated at. Once incubation is complete and the hatchlings are ready to emerge from their eggs, they emit a “yerping” sound. This signals the female that the eggs are about to hatch so she carefully opens the nest. The hatchlings can then be found tearing through the leathery eggs with an egg tooth that they are equipped with. This egg tooth is located on the tip of their snout and will fall off after the alligator is a few days old. The mother alligator can also help the hatchlings emerge from their eggs by rolling the eggs between her tongue and palate. This helps to ensure that all of the eggs hatch at the same time. Hatchlings typically emerge from their eggs and then stay near the nesting site for a couple of years where the mother alligator helps care for them until this time.

Although alligators typically do not climb trees as they live in water and only come onto land for shorter periods of time to hunt and to bask (they normally wait for birds and ducks etc. to come to them) they are able to climb a tree if they choose to do so.

An alligator climbing a tree is very uncommon, however it has been done. Therefore if you are being chased by an alligator and think that it is safe to climb a tree to escape, unfortunately you are probably wrong and if the creature wants to get to you bad enough he will climb the tree to reach you.

The exception to alligators climbing trees of course is that the trees are not straight up and down or really tall. Contrary to what many people may believe, alligators are able to run, jump, and climb. They are equipped with strong claws and powerful tails that help them throw themselves upward, making climbing trees (especially slanted trees) quite simple.

Alligators are incredibly fast runners. They have been known to rise up on their long, muscular legs and sprint yards across a wide open field after their prey. Alligators are able to run anywhere from 11 to 15 miles per hour however they are unable to maintain that speed for very long. In fact, the average human could easily outrun an alligator, whether they are zigzagging or not. Gaining on prey via a long sprint is not an alligator’s preferred attack tactic. Alligators prefer to sneak up on their prey in the water.

These creatures are also agile climbers, jumpers and swimmers, and can do each efficiently and in a quick manner. Alligators are faster swimmers than they are runners. They have been known to swim up to 20 miles per hour and are silent as they move through the water, which helps them sneak up on their prey.

Alligators do lay eggs. Mating season for alligators occurs from mid April through May. To attract females, males display behaviors such as slapping their heads on the water and producing a deep rumbling bellow. Once a male and female pair up, they will swim together, touch each other’s snouts, and blow bubbles. Mating takes place in the water and when it is completed the male disperses and the female is then left to search for a place to build a nest to lay her eggs.

Female alligators construct a nest by using their entire bodies and tail to clear an area. They use their jaws to gather and drag vegetation, and their hind legs are used to dig the hold in the mound for the eggs. After completing the nest, the female alligator can be found depositing all of her eggs (usually ranges anywhere from 20 to 50 eggs) at once and covers them up with more vegetation for incubation.

The female may move vegetation around in order to keep the eggs at a fairly constant temperature. The female alligators stay near the nest during the incubation period and actively defend it from predators. Raccoons are a common predator when it comes to alligator eggs. Females may be aggressive towards humans that come near the nest. They may be seen display behaviors such as hissing and charging intruders, it is for this reason that alligator nests should best be avoided and not approached for any reason.

An alligator’s eggs usually incubate for about 65 days. During this time, the alligator embryos develop and the sex is determined by the temperature at which the eggs were incubated. This is known as temperature dependent sex determination. A temperature of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) or below produces females and a temperature of 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher produces males. In between those temperatures at 32 degrees Celsius) 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit) there is usually a 50/50 chance of getting males or females.

Once incubation is complete and the hatchlings are ready to emerge from their eggs, they emit a “yerping” sound. A few hatchlings yerping stimulates the other hatchlings in the clutch to yerp as well. This then signals the female that the eggs are about to hatch so she carefully opens the nest. The hatchlings can then be found tearing through the leathery eggs with an egg tooth that they are equipped with. This egg tooth is located on the tip of their snout and will fall off after the alligator is a few days old. The mother alligator can also help the hatchlings emerge from their eggs by rolling the eggs between her tongue and palate. This helps to ensure that all of the eggs hatch at the same time. Hatchlings typically emerge from their eggs and then stay near the nesting site for a couple of years.

Alligators are nocturnal creatures, which means they are more active at night. Primarily they do their hunting during this time as well; usually around dusk or sometime during the night. They carry out the process of hunting by laying motionless and waiting for their prey. These creatures are exclusively carnivorous and prey upon many different types of creatures; however their selection also seems to be determined by size.

Alligators are carnivores that are generally known to be solitary and territorial creatures that love hunting prey and feasting upon meat. Baby alligators can even typically be found feasting upon small fish, insects, snails, worms, and crustaceans such as crabs and/or lobsters. However, as alligators grow they will begin to prey upon larger animals.

Some of an alligator’s favorite foods include gar (a species of fish), larger fish, turtles, wading birds, antelope, and other reptiles. Sometimes alligators have even been known to be cannibalistic and eat other smaller alligators located near the shore line. If an alligator gets very hungry they may also eat the carcass of a dead animal if they come across it.

Contrary to what many believe, alligators rarely attack or eat humans. However they have been known to do so if they feel threatened by them. Crocodiles on the other hand, regard human as prey as soon as they encounter them. Alligators on average have about 75 teeth and are carnivorous creatures that kill their prey by dragging them into the water and drowning them.

It is true that alligators and crocodiles are reptilian relatives; however the two can be distinguished from one another by paying attention to a few of their differing characteristics. One way to distinguish the two apart, is to notice the width of the snout. Although both reptilian relatives possess the same basic layout of a large head, long lizard-like body, four stubby legs and a tail, alligators are typically known to have fatter, rounder snouts than crocodiles.

Crocodiles are also often found throughout the tropics of places such as Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Crocodiles also tend to congregate in freshwater habitats such as rivers, lakes, wetlands, and in brackish water. They mostly feed upon vertebrates such as fish, other reptiles, and mammals. Sometimes they will feed upon invertebrates such as mollusks and crustaceans, depending on the species.

Alligators are fresh water creatures that can also be found in places such as rivers, and lakes however they also reside in places such as ponds and irrigation canals. Because they are cold blooded reptiles, they are not a fan of cold weather. This often limits their range to the warmer, wetter areas in the Southeastern United States from Texas to North Carolina. Alligators are opportunistic feeders that feast upon adult fish and/or smaller fish, turtles, birds, snakes, frogs, small mammals, smaller alligators, and aquatic invertebrates.

Typically, alligators are not usually found to be aggressive creatures unless provoked or caused to feel threatened in some way. However the following combination of conditions have been found to place a part in the aggression and level of how territorial these creatures can be:

• Human population growth
• Drought
• Mating season

Alligator attacks in relation to human population growth is largely due in part to people wanting to live on or near lakes, canals, etc. The percentage of accidental alligator bites has definitely increased for sure. Alligators are territorial, when heavy equipment for construction starts showing up and building right where the alligators use to call home. The alligators will move, however since they are territorial, they will not go far.

Alligators sort of have a built in navigation system that helps them know where they are and keeps them close to home. If someone else now resides where the alligator used to live, these creatures really aren’t going to care and will continue going on about their daily business as usual. A mistake that many people often make is feeding these creatures.

Alligators will and do bite. They act on instinct, and if they are fed by people they will no longer fear people and will eventually start to associate people with food, thus potentially leading to an attack.

Another time when alligators get particularly territorial and fussy is during a drought. About every 4 to 7 years this is known to occur. A drought is when the dry season lasts longer than the wet season. Basically, in places like Florida there is not a winter season. There is a spring and summer. Alligators move into each other’s territory at different times during a drought to find some deeper water they are hopefully able to locate food and safety.

Both food and water however, do become scarce when there is so much competition in the remaining waterways and this is when it is not out of the ordinary to find smaller alligators wondering across roadways and in backyards. One might even end up in your swimming pool. When this happens it is usually because these creatures are searching for water that is not so crowded. Being crowded, makes an alligator bad tempered.

This especially becomes a problem during mating season. When there is a drought, the water levels start getting low around the end of February and keep dropping until the rainy season finally starts.

Typically male alligators are not known to want to share their territories with other males. A male alligator of 9 feet can own a territory of about 2 square miles and could also have about 10-15 females in his territory, along with their children. A male alligator of 12-14 feet could have up to 3 square miles and have even more females within his territory.

During the mating month (May) male alligators simply will not put up with any other male in being in their territory at the same time. He will patrol and defend the territory at whatever cost.

When mother alligators are nesting, they too become very territorial and protective of their nests and offspring. Small male alligators have to steer away from big alligators.