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How big is a newborn alligator?
Facts About Alligator Only 1/8 pound and 9 1/2″ long at birth, an alligator grows about 8-10 inches a year to an average of 6-12 feet. Female alligators rarely exceed 10 feet in length, but males can grow much larger.
How big is a juvenile alligator?
approximately 6 to 8 inches long
The Physical Appearance of a Baby Alligator Newly hatched alligators are approximately 6 to 8 inches long; as adults they may eventually grow up to 15 feet long.
What is the size of a baby crocodile?
Offspring. Crocodiles lay 10 to 60 eggs at a time. The hatchlings stay in their eggs for 55 to 110 days. They are 7 to 10 inches (17.8 to 25.4 centimeters) long when they are born and don’t mature until they are 4 to 15 years.
How can you tell how old a baby alligator is?
Scientists use the process of skeletochronology to tell the age of an alligator. It allows them to estimate the alligator’s age by examining the growth rate based on its bone structure.
What does a baby alligator called?
Baby alligators (hatchlings) have a pointed “egg tooth” or a caruncle to help them break out of their shell. This tooth is soon lost after hatching. Hatchlings are about 8 inches long. A group of hatchlings is called a pod.
What does a baby alligator eat?
Alligators are opportunistic feeders. Their diets include prey species that are abundant and easily accessible. Juvenile alligators eat primarily insects, amphibians, small fish, and other invertebrates. Adult alligators eat rough fish, snakes, turtles, small mammals, and birds.
Can baby alligators survive without their mother?
A mother alligator makes a nest on shore, where she lays her eggs. Their mother protects them from predators, which include raccoons, bobcats, birds, and even other alligators. The young alligators stay with their mother for up to two years. After that, they’re able to fend for themselves.
What is the life span of an alligator?
The average lifespan of an American alligator is 50 years in the wild. The oldest American alligator died in Paris and it lived 85 years in captivity. Alligators died in large numbers in Lake Griffin , Florida between 1994 and 1997.
What is the average weight of an alligator?
An average adult American alligator’s weight and length is 360 kg (790 lb) and 4.0 m (13.1 ft), but they sometimes grow to 4.4 m (14 ft) long and weigh over 450 kg (990 lb).
How long can an alligator live?
According to LiveScience , American alligators can live up to 50 years in the wild. The American alligator can grow to lengths of up to 20 feet and weigh up to 1,000 pounds. On average, male alligators reach 11 feet, while females approach 8 feet. Alligators rarely attack humans unless provoked or when guarding a nest.
What are some interesting facts about alligators?
Interesting facts about alligators include: Alligators are carnivorous reptiles who live in and near freshwater lakes, swamps and marshes of southeastern United States and China. The American alligator is most abundantly found in Louisiana and Florida, with more than one million found in each state.