In the United States, there are states I don’t allow my dogs to play around their beaches because of alligators or crocodiles.
Which state has the most alligators?
Florida comes to mind when people mention places with more alligator attacks.
Here is what you should know about alligators.
After hatching from eggs, alligators are usually about 8-9 inches in length.
Different factors affect the rate of their growth and some of these may include:
- Size
- Age
- Habitat
- Sex
As an alligator gets older, their growth rate begins to reduce.
Male alligators generally grow more rapidly and larger than female alligators.
The females grow to a length of 9 feet (which they rarely grow beyond) with a weight of more than 200 pounds.
For males, they grow to a length of 13 feet and weigh over 500 pounds.
In the wild, alligators can live for over 70 years while those in captivity can live for more than this.
Which state has the most alligators?
The states with the largest population of alligators are:
- Florida and
- Louisiana
Each of these states have over one million wild alligators.
Alligators can be found mostly in coastal marshes and in other areas such as:
- Rivers
- Swamps
- Ponds
- Lakes
- Canals
Can alligators smell period blood?
Funny enough, alligators can perceive period blood from a mile away.
If you are currently menstruating, it is advisable to stay away from areas that have alligators, particularly during dusk and dawn when alligators are very active.
On the flip side, alligators are generally afraid of humans and will avoid any contact with humans.
Based on information by BBC, there have been 0.
06 alligator attacks per 100,000 people every year.
Alligators, being reptiles, are cold blooded animals and use the temperature of their surroundings to regulate their own body temperatures.
This explains why you can spot alligators basking in the sun.
Under cooler conditions particularly during the winter months, their metabolism tends to slow down to the extent that they find it very difficult to catch and even digest food properly.
Once this happens, they resort to entering underground holes where they remain dormant until the weather condition is warm enough again.
Alligators Incubation Period
Warmer temperatures favor the males.
If the incubation temperature is very high, it is likely that the egg will be a female.
High incubation temperatures also results to more mortality amongst alligators.
During the incubation period, the female alligator remains close to the nest.
Eggs hatch anywhere between 65 to 70 days.
To slit open the egg, the hatchling develops an egg tooth on top of its snout.
Before the hatchling has even emerged from the egg, it begins to chirp and soon enough, the whole clutch begins to do the same to signal the mother that it is time to leave the nest.
If an egg does not hatch well, the female alligator goes on to break the egg gently with her enormous jaws so that the hatchling can get out of the egg.
She may additionally carry some of these hatchlings to the water in her mouth.
Hatchlings remain in the water for duration of six months where they are being guarded and watched by their mother who has the sole responsibility of protecting them from predators and intruders.
The young alligator may even remain close to the nest site for few years before it can live on its own.
Due to predators and natural mortality, the death rate of alligator hatchlings is quite high.
Some of these predators include:
- Herons
- Egrets and
- Largemouth bass
Regardless, growing to a length of six feet, some hatchlings still survive and learn to live on their own.
For an alligator, it’s only real threat is either another alligator or humans.
Feeding
Soon after they are born, alligator hatchlings begin to feed on insects.
After a while, they start feeding on crawfish, small fish and frogs.
As they grow older and develop, their diet changes to one consisting of much larger animals like:
- Small birds
- Crabs
- Larger fish
- Frogs
The diet of alligators expands as they reach adulthood.
At this point, their food generally includes much bigger animals like:
- Turtles
- Deer
- Muskrats
- Nutria
- Beavers
- Raccoons
- Snakes
- Large birds and fish
Alligators are able to hunt at any time of the day but they hunt very well at night as they have a very good sense of smell and sight even in the dark.
Can alligators smell blood underwater?
Underwater, alligators tend to close their nostrils.
This means that they cannot breather while they are in the water.
Surprisingly, alligators can hold their breath for up to 24 hours
In order to stay underwater for such a long period of time, alligators reduce their heartbeats to 2 or 4 bears per minutes.
With this, there is a significant decrease in their oxygen consumption.
In addition, when alligators require oxygen, they stick the tip of their snouts a little above the surface of the water to inhale.
Although alligators make use of their senses to hunt and survive, they do not have the ability to smell blood underwater.
Their sense of smell is the most important sense as they make use of their nose to hunt for food and prey, and also protect themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you scare an alligator away?
If you’ve spotted an alligator, the best thing to do is to run away and keep a good distance of about 20-30 feet.
Alligators are not known to run after their prey. You can also make a lot of noise before they attack as this can form a good distraction and give you time to run.
How do you get rid of an alligator?
On land, the best thing to do is to run away in a straight line unlike the popular belief that you should run in a zig zag line. Alligators can move very fast while on land but this occurs in short bursts and distances until they get tired.
Also, you can jam any nearby objects into the back of the alligator’s mouth to cause a gag reflex.
What months are alligators most active?
Alligators are very active during their mating season, usually from April to June.
With the start of this mating season, there’s a very big likelihood that you’ll spot a few alligators around.
You can even find them in a pond around the neighborhood or even in your backyard or swimming pool.
