Book Online. Benefits of Alligators to the Florida Ecosystem. Alligators are apex predators. An apex predator is a term for animals that sit at the top of the food chain. They have few natural enemies.
Because of this, they keep smaller animal populations in check. Most small animals breed quickly and without apex predators, their numbers can outpace the food supply. Some fish and birds would lose their homes. Alligators make nests in the soft mud. This creates holes and large depressions that become filled with water. There would be fewer birds and more insects.
These raccoons often eat bird eggs and hatchlings. With the alligators there to eat the raccoons or keep them at bay, there are fewer raccoons to eat the young birds. There would be fewer links in marine estuaries. Alligators tend to be in freshwater. However, they occasionally move into brackish water, where saltwater and freshwater mix like where rivers lead out to oceans. Their commute transfers nutrients from one system to the other, which can be beneficial to plants and organisms.
They live in freshwater rivers, lakes, swamps, and marshes. There are an estimated five million American alligators in the southeastern U.
Year after year we find that children and adults are always interested in learning more information about alligators when visiting Florida. Alligators can grow up to pounds and 13 feet long on average.
Females do have a tendency to be smaller than males. According to the Everglades National Park, the largest alligator ever recorded measured 17 feet, 5 inches. They eat primarily fish, birds, turtles, various mammals, and other reptiles. If the alligator is big enough it will eat larger prey such as deer, bear, razorbacks, or other alligators. If the gator has caught something too large to consume in one bite it typically drowns it by violently spinning it in the water.
It will then store it for a couple days to allow decomposition and easier consumption afterward. Alligators live an average of years in the wild.
They have been known to live years in human care. Mating season is mid-April through May and alligators have a heightened aggression during this time. The female will build a nest in the vegetation in or around the water and lay a clutch of eggs.
Incubation is days and hatchlings will stay with the mother for up to 2 years. Female alligators are fiercely protective of the nest and hatchlings and are especially dangerous. The temperature in the nest determines sex of the offspring. Temperatures above 93 degrees will produce males while temperatures of 86 degrees and below produce females. The senses of all crocodilians are quite powerful in comparison to other reptiles.
They have an excellent sense of hearing and a well developed inner ear; mothers can actually hear hatchlings calling while still inside the eggs. They have extra sensory organs inside the snout for a heightened sense of smell and their vision above water can be compared to that of an owl. The American crocodile is an endangered species success story.
Since their numbers have increased from less than to more than 2, adult crocodiles. Today, they are classified as a threatened species.
The number of crocodile complaints has risen as a result of their recovery and the increasing number of people living and recreating in south Florida. Skip to main content. Report Issues Report fish kills, wildlife emergencies, sightings, etc. Go Outdoors Florida! Alligators Alligators have inhabited Florida's marshes, swamps, rivers and lakes for many centuries, and are found in all 67 counties.
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