Florida Alligators
All About Florida Alligators
To learn about Florida alligators, we need to first look to history. In the far distant past, reptiles dominated over the entire earth. This includes the dinosaurs, who were the largest of the reptiles of their era. The only surviving animals from the age of reptiles are the species Crocodilians. This class includes crocodiles and alligators, as well as gharials and caimans. They date back to the Mesozoic era. The animals still have long bodies, large mouths with very sharp teeth, and long tails. In the Florida swamps, as with everywhere else they live now, they are at the top of the food chain, the highest ranked predators.
Spanish settlers to the New World came across Florida alligators when they began arriving here to colonize the area. They called them “el lagarto”, which means lizard. Sometime later, English settlers referred to gators as “allagarto”, which was transformed into the term alligator that we know today.
Florida alligators are members of the class of the American Alligator. These are found only in the southeastern areas in the United States. The states with the highest alligator counts are Louisiana and Florida. Florida alligators are at home in that state because of its abundant ponds, lakes, rivers, swamps and marshlands.
Alligators are literally referred to as being “cold-blooded”, even though they can't change their body temperatures. The cold-blooded Florida alligators use their cold-blooded-ness for a survival tactic, since in this way they don't have to eat as often or as much as a warm-blooded animal.
Alligators are covered with protective plates and scales. Their skull has two holes behind their eye socket, which are where you can find all the attaching muscles for their jaws. The jaw muscles that compress and capture prey are strong, but the muscles the alligator uses to open its mouth are weak. Often times people who capture nuisance alligators can hold them shut with duct tape or even a rubber band.
Florida alligators, along with their saltwater cousins, have five toes on their front feet, which helps them maintain a firm footing when they're on land. Their back feet are webbed and only have four toes, to help them maneuver in the water.
Alligators, including Florida alligators, have eighty razor-sharp teeth, perfect for grabbing prey and then holding onto it. If a tooth is damaged or worn, another tooth will replace it. Alligators' teeth aren't very useful for chewing, however, so alligators generally swallow their prey whole or in large chunks. Alligators eat mainly snakes, turtles and fish. Sometimes, if their natural food sources are depleted in their area, they will attack and eat raccoons, wading birds, deer or small pets.
Humans can co-exist with Florida alligators if they maintain a safe distance and don't antagonize them. Alligators are naturally fearful of humans, and will only attack if provoked, or if their food supply is very scarce.