ALLIGATORS- Organism Physiology Jennifer Ayoub

http://www.daufuskieislandconservancy.org/index.php?page=american-alligator

The organism that I am going to discuss in this paper is the Alligator. The name "alligator" is an anglicized form of el lagarto, the Spanish term for "the lizard", which early Spanish explorers and settlers in Florida called the alligator. The alligator The alligator is from the crocodilia family and is found normally in the north and even the south. Alligators can grow as big as 14ft and 970 lbs. The largest alligator is in Lousiana and is 72 yrs old. When the alligators reproduce their populations they are found as far in the north as 35 degrees latitude in the freshwater marshes and rivers of coastal North Carolina, and they are also found in the far south as 25 degrees latitude in the Florida Keys. Some of the alligators live in the ocean and they are known as “Salties”. They can't live in the salt water because they dont have the saltwater glands. These different areas are exposed to very different annual thermal cycles. Alligators stop eating when the water temperature drops below 16 degrees C. This anorexia lasts for about 6 months at 35 degrees latitude. In southwest, Louisiana alligators stop feeding in October and they do not resume feeding until the late March or early April. The only time that the alligators grow is in the warmer months, this is their growing season, because they are constantly feeding during this time. Even with this restricted growing season Louisiana alligators grow about 30 cm a year for the first 6 years.(www.//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alligator) When alligators reach their sexual maturity at about 1.85 m total length growth slows in both sexes, but is significantly slower in females than males. As a result of the different temperatures in North Carolina and Lousinana, the sexual maturity in the female alligators is estimated at around 18 years in North Carolina and about 10 years in Louisiana. Females lay one round 40 eggs in June, but their time of nesting is linked to the temperatures that are around them. In a cool spring nesting can occur as late as July 5th, and in a warm spring as early as June 5th. Immature male alligators undergo a seasonal hormonal cycle similar to fully mature breeding males, but their testosterone levels differ from that of the mature alligators. Immature female alligators show no seasonal hormonal cycle. The alligator has a heavy body and a slow metabolism they can use short burst of movement that are the same as lunges. Alligators main prey are smaller animals they can kill and eat with a single bite. They may kill larger prey by grabbing it and dragging it into the water to drown. The alligators can kill man but the man can kill the alligators. Alligators consume food that can not be eaten in one bite by allowing it to rot, or by biting and then spinning or convulsing wildly until bite-sized chunks are torn off. This is referred to as a "death roll". Critical to the alligator's ability to initiate a death roll, the tail must flex to a significant angle relative to its body. An alligator that has an immobilized tail cannot perform a death roll. (http://www.crocodopolis.net/lwa_alligator.htm) Some of the structures and functions of the alligator body starts at the head. The alligator’s head, its mouth is full of teeth, there is approximately 80 teeth which can be sharp. Alligators have a long snout with upward facing nostrils at the end; this lets them breathe while the rest of the body is

underwater. The young alligators can be distinguished from the adults by the bright yellow stripes on the tail; adults have dark stripes on the tail. Throughout its lifetime, an alligator can potentially have thousands of teeth. When one tooth is lost, another grows in its place. Alligators usually go through 2,000- 3,000 teeth in their life. Alligators have sensory pits located primarily along the bottom jaws. The sensory pits are known as integumentary sense organs, these “organs” are believed to help the alligator sense pressure changes, as well as find prey under murky waters. Within their mouths, alligators have a palatal valve. This blocks water from entering the alligator’s digestive system while under water. On their heads, alligators possess a “third eyelid” known as a nictitating membranes, these act like “goggles” and gives the alligator a clear vision under the water’s surface. This nictitating membrane slides across the eye in a transverse manner from inner to outer corner. Along the alligator’s back, many scutes or osteoderms may be found. These osteoderms are made of bone and act like a suit of armor over the alligator’s body. These rows of osteoderms continue posteriorly to the tail, which comprises nearly half of an alligator’s total body length.(www.imms.org/downloads/brochure/IMMS_Alligator_Brochure_quadfold-final2.pdf) The alligator is accustomed to being in the warm climate with marshes and swampy waters. I believe that if the alligator is out of his element, he could possibly die. Sometimes when they are exposed to direct heat without any water, they can burn or even be cooked. Alligators were considered endangered species in 1967, the American alligator was removed from the endangered species list in 1987 after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pronounced a complete recovery of the species. (http://www.npca.org/protecting-our-parks/wildlife_facts/alligator.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/) . In China, the alligator is an endangered species because they exterminate the farmers land. There temperature of the alligator is regulated by the sensory pits. I dont think that their main organs would be able to survive the change of enviroment. I personally think that with the weather now being threatened by the the world ending like they say, I think that the alligators would be confused with the temperature change if they were relocated to another enviroment. I know some people have little alligators as pets but they have their atmosphere like its suppose to be. I went to an alligator swamp in Lousiana when I was travelling, with my previous job. I noticed that the alligators are shy and timid there were lots of them that were hiding in the marsh. The only thing that you can see was their beady eyes. They were actually looking for food and when we would feed the alligators hotdogs they would circle the boat. We hunt the alligators for their skin. I don't know what kind of clothes would be made of alligator. I know in some of these resturants down here they do have alligator. I haven't tried it as of yet and really doesnt spark my interest. https://thehomeschoolmomblog.wordpress.com/2014/07/08/the-mad-scientist-what-a-croc/fig005/ http://hix-american-aligator.weebly.com/dissection.html

White albino alligator- also known as a GHOST SWAMP- http://coastalcourier.com/archives/56334/ http://www.nps.gov/bicy/learn/nature/american-alligators.htm REFERENCES

www.//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alligator http://www.npca.org/protecting-our-parks/wildlife_facts/alligator.html referrer=https://www.google.com/ www.imms.org/downloads/brochure/IMMS_Alligator_Brochure_quadfold-final2.pdf http://www.crocodopolis.net/lwa_alligator.htm https://thehomeschoolmomblog.wordpress.com/2014/07/08/the-mad-scientist-what-a-croc/fig005/ http://hix-american-aligator.weebly.com/dissection.html http://coastalcourier.com/archives/56334/ http://www.nps.gov/bicy/learn/nature/american-alligators.htm
http://www.daufuskieislandconservancy.org/index.php?page=american-alligator