Alligator

The American alligator is a large, powerful reptile that lives in the warm, watery places of the southeastern United States. You can find them in swamps, marshes, rivers, ponds, and lakes, especially in states like Florida and Louisiana. They are the biggest reptiles in the whole country.

Alligators have a wide, rounded snout, a long muscular tail, and thick, armoured skin. As babies they are black with bright yellow stripes, which help them hide, and as they grow up the stripes fade to a dark olive-black. Their tail makes up about half of their whole length and pushes them smoothly through the water.

One of the most helpful things an alligator does is dig a “gator hole.” Using its snout and tail, it scoops out a muddy pool that stays full of water even when the weather turns dry. Fish, turtles, birds, and other animals all gather at these pools, so scientists call the alligator a keystone species, meaning many other creatures depend on the work it does.

Alligators are patient hunters that eat whatever they can find in and around the water, such as fish, turtles, birds, snakes, and small mammals. Baby alligators start with tiny meals like insects and snails. Most of the time alligators like peace and quiet, and they usually keep their distance from people.

The story of the American alligator is a happy one. Long ago there were so few left that people worried they might disappear forever, and in 1967 they were listed as endangered. Thanks to new laws that protected them and their wetlands, alligators bounced back in a big way. Today the IUCN lists them as least concern, which makes them one of nature’s great comeback stories.