ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

The American Alligator: An Overview

Updated on March 12, 2012
American Alligator feeding.
American Alligator feeding. | Source

The American Alligator

The American Alligator; a predator that has evolved since Prehistoric times to become the top predator of freshwater ecosystems. The American Alligator is, hence the name, only found in North America, even more specifically, in the coastal areas of Southeastern United States, from North Carolina down to Texas. These predators are reptiles that mainly prey on fish, small mammals, snakes, and turtles, although they are opportunisitic hunters, meaning they will feed on anything they can. Their size ranges from 10 to 15 ft, however the largest one recorded was 19 feet long. They mainly inhabit swamps, rivers, and lakes, being adept and extremely effective swimmers, but a bit lumbering on land.

The female American Alligator lays her eggs on land, and when they hatch, she carries them in her mouth carefully to the water. This is the extent of alligator motherhood. Once they are in the water, they are essentially on their own. The hatchlings are 6-8 inches long, so they are an ideal snack to predators, including other alligators. Many hatchlings will not survive into adulthood, although they are equipped with natural camoflague to aid them in survival. Most young alligators will stay in the shallow pools with heavy vegetation to use as camoflague, and adult alligators will rarely hunt in these shallow areas. Once the alligator is big enough to not be eaten, it can venture out deeper into its habitat and become the fearsome predator that defines Southern swamps and marshes.

The American Alligator was heavily hunted for its skin for use in the production of alligator skin products, such as boots and handbags. However, since they were almost extinct, the alligator has become protected and been on the rise, now considered as a "recovered" species, meaning they are no longer endangered, but are not abundant. There are still captive breeding programs for the American Alligator, and the alligators are a huge attraction in zoos all over America. There have also been many federal habitat protection programs for the American Alligator, preserving the swamps and lakes that they inhabit, these programs allow the alligators to recover their populations without the threat and pressure of human development and contact.

The American Alligator is an ancient predator that has ruled the freshwater world ever since it came into existence. With armor-like scales, a muscular tale, and razor-sharp teeth, these predators dominate their ecosystems, and are here to stay.

What is Your Favorite Reptile?

What is Your Favorite Reptile?

See results
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)