...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...
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...Florida Alligators…… Are They Really That Scary????? By: Krista Source: Me with the help of Florida and some alligators My First Time What would you do if you walked into a store and saw three alligators lying on the floor? Well that is exactly what happened to me, and like every other human being, I freaked out at first. At this store you were able to hold an alligator for five dollars. After watching my mom and best friend hold one I thought that I couldn’t miss this opportunity, and I’m glad I didn’t. About Alligators! How many teeth do you have? Well, alligators have 80 teeth. Their jaws are very special. You probably think that they are stronger than anything. But you’re wrong an alligators jaw is strong enough to close on something big, but if something is holding it together it is not strong enough to open. Alligators have many special facts about them. The black bumps around an alligator’s mouth are called nerves. Therefore an alligator can feel every single touch. Alligators are very sensitive because they spend a lot of their time underwater. If a gust of wind came and the alligator’s mouth was open the wind would act its senses and the jaw would automatically snap shut. Alligators have two sets of eyes. One set is for under water and the other is for above water. An alligator can stay under water for approximately 40 minutes to 2 hours if needed. When they are under water there heart rate slows down to 3 to 5 beats per minute. Everglade Ride ...
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..."American Alligator or Alligator Mississippiensis" The American Alligator is one of the scariest looking types of animals, Class: Reptilia, Family: Alligatoridae and Kingdom: Animalia. An interesting fact about this reptile is that it can be capable of not eating for 5 to 6 months once they reach a cold body temperature. Their physical characteristics consist of a very dry shielded appearance in the outside along with a plane long tail; which details the young ones with yellow stripes while the mature ones have dark stripes. They are reptiles with two anterior legs and five toes, while in the posterior two other legs they only have four toes (para.1). Alligators are slightly different from other reptiles in their respiratory system due to them...
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...Scientific Name: Alligator mississippiensis Introduction to the Species: Basically describe your species in several sentences. Write as if you only had one paragraph to describe your species. The American alligator has survived extinction for over one hundred fifty million years. It is a reptile that prefers to live in calm waters. It hatches eggs on land and protects its young for a few years after they hatch. They can eat a wide variety of animals as they are tertiary consumers of their habitats. They are aggressive and pack a mean punch, their jaw can kill a deer in one bite. They have been known to attack humans but only a few people die as a result of their attacks. Physical Description: The formation of skin on their body are called osteoderms or scutes, embedded bony plates. They are a dark green and grey color and the scutes resemble a soldier’s armor. Their snout have two nostrils on both sides that face upward, to allow them to breathe while their body is submerged underwater. The American alligator has four short and stout legs, the front two feet have five toes and four toes on each of the back feet. Alligators have anywhere from seventy to eighty teeth in their mouth at one time, as teeth get warm out, they are replaced....
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...and muscle. Then they swim off, into mucky, filthy water and yet they still do not get any kind of major infection. Humans exposed to the same type of battles and the same disgusting water they would have a devastating outcome, possibly death. This gave him and others ideas to check into their blood to see if they had something humans lacked. In 1998, Dr. Merchant found that American Alligators have a powerful antibiotic in their blood. Dr. Merchant demonstrated the “unscientific” evidence suggesting that reptile are resistant to bacterial infection. He identified reasons these creatures were immune to infection. Like humans, they have a natural defense system against invading bacteria, viruses, and fungi, which involves a group of proteins called the complement system. So Dr. Merchant tested his theory by exposing the alligator blood to pathogens such as HIV, West Nile Virus, and E Coli. His results- it started to kill the bacteria. As it turned out the alligator complement system is much more effective than that of humans. The problem: no possibility of isolating the crocodile or alligator cell(s) that could be given to...
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...THE ALLIGATOR RIVER STORY As most stories begin: Once upon a time, there was a river that was practically overflowing with alligators. As you may have guessed, it was called the Alligator River. A girl named Aurora lived on the bank of this river, and on the opposite bank lived Greg. Aurora and Greg were much in love with each other, and wanted very much to see each other. But there was one slight complication: No boat, and an alligator-filled river stood between them. Aurora decided to seek help so that she could see her friend Greg. So she approached Bong, who owned a boat. Now this was very fortunate for Aurora, because Bong’s boat was what exactly she needed to get across the river. She explained her situation to Bong, who then replied: “Sure you can borrow my boat, but only under one condition. The condition is that you sleep with me tonight. Now this startled Aurora, because she didn’t want to sleep with Bong. She just wanted to borrow his boat so she could see Greg. After Aurora had told Bong “Nothing doing”, she wandered down the road until she came upon Henry. Aurora explained her predicament (her desire to see Greg and Bong’s response) to Henry. He replied: “That’s not my concern I’ve got other things to do. Leave me alone”. A despondent Aurora, her options exhausted, finally decided to go back to Bong. She slept with him that night. The next morning, Bong, true to his word, loaned his boat to...
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...rabbit from there a new species comes on to eat the snake which would be a hawk. And then from there a hawk gets hunted down by humans which then humans eat the wild bird. The second reason why we should care for the Everglades more for is because of its wild life that it has growing on it. Many things live in the Everglades such as many fish like piranha, snapper, and many more. The Everglades is also home to many birds such as vultures, bald eagle, and herons. Many snakes live in the Everglades also such as anacondas, pythons, and the most common one out there the boa constrictors. Other types of creatures live in the Everglades as well such as crocodiles, alligators, many lizards, and many other species out there. The Everglades is said to be the only place in the world where the American Crocodile and the American Alligator co-exist in the wild. So why would anyone would want to throw this away? Well most people that never really thought about the environment in the Everglades would want to build other thing such as highways, roads, house, and buildings and may even sell the skin of these creatures to make clothing. The final reason why we should cherish the Everglades is because of its wetlands. A wetland is where water and land are combined together to form a sort of muddy beach. Most people refer to the wetlands as wastelands because they have nothing good in them only gross bacteria and harmful diseases. Well that is not true because the wetlands is where most new life...
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...Evolution of the Alligator Evolution of the Alligator One of the most highly evolved animals on the Earth today is the alligator. Found mainly in the swamps and warmer climates of the earth, these predators are one of the few animals left that existed when the dinosaurs roamed the planet. Over the millennia, they have evolved into one of the most feared and interesting creatures today. However, the modern alligator is a far cry from its ancestral roots. Today, by looking at the anatomy of the alligator there are many similarities between alligators and humans. (Jones, 2011) Most of their internal organs are located in roughly the same place as a human. The liver and spleen are just above the stomach while the intestines are below, and their spine runs down the middle of their back. The most interesting feature of the alligator is the mouth. The most noted feature often is the long nose and mouth. The nose and mouth is long for two reasons. First, it allows for the alligator to breathe while the rest of his body is underwater, and second to handle the force load of its powerful jaws when it closes. The bite of an alligator has been measures at over 2,100 pounds. That’s the equivalent of a car landing on top of a human. (Viegas, 2003) The mouth has evolved of the centuries to handle the pressure exerted. It is believed that alligators were first primarily land creatures that ranged in size from cats to bears. At the time, there were also some species that lives...
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...The Alligator River Story (p. 25) – 2nd (b) draft The Alligator River Story is a tragic love story about a loving, young couple that’s trapped on both their sides of the furious river. The girl, Alice, is willing to do anything to be with her beloved Cecil. But are love for another person strong enough to justify the fact, that she have slept with another man, Sinbad, in order to cross the river? Well, that depends on the point of view. First, looking at the fact that she’s engaged to Cecil makes it morally wrong to sleep with another person. Especially if the relationship is healthy, which, by looking at the first couple of phrases, we must conclude it is. And moreover also thinking about the fact that Alice is still virgin. Secondly, even though it seemed like the easiest and fastest way to cross the river, their relationship will be harmed for life. The trust will forever be broken. She puts her own needs of quickly crossing the river in front of the fact that she’s saving herself for Cecil. Thirdly, she let the strong woodsman stomp off toward the house, to beat the crap out of Cecil, which, in my opinion, indicates that she now blame Cecil for their break up. On the other hand however, you could say that she loves Cecil so much, that she’s willing to do anything, even sacrifice her virginity, in order to be with the man she loves. This statement might, in some way, justify what she did. But in conclusion, Alice is definitely, no matter how you look at...
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...My father said that the alligator was beautiful in a way. As my father’s and the alligator’s eyes were locked, my father noticed the deepness of the alligator’s eyes. Its eyes were gold, with flecks of brown; they looked a bit human. Its skin was lustrous. The sun was hitting it in a way that made its skin seem pearlescent. The alligator opened its mouth a bit and my father saw its teeth, like pocketknives, sharpened, yet small. The sun glinted off them, and my father felt a trickle of sweat run down his face.What my father saw in that alligator made him realize that this would be the greatest challenge of his life My father suddenly made a break for his horse, letting go of his riding crop, and leaving it. The alligator, startled for a second, began to chase hi,. My father had a big head start and was covering ground quite rapidly. Once he reached his horse, it panicked. The horse reared up, with its hooves kicking and with wild eyes, making impossible to mount. My father realized it was acting this way because of the alligator, 20 feet away. The horse stood panting for a moment. My father knew the horse would rear again. He made a wild jump for the saddle. He made it! He kicked his heels into the horse and it sprung forward toward the swamp; into the...
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...a sibling at least once in their life. Has it ever been so bad that you considered trading them for an animal? Most people would think that having a sister would be better than having an alligator, but in my opinion I’m not so sure. Attitude Having an alligator may be difficult, but at least they wouldn’t bitch about every little thing. An alligator can’t speak which is a wonderful quality that they possess. A sister does not care what she says and she has no problem making you feel inferior. Any chance a sister gets to give you sass she will take advantage of. If there is an opportunity to embarrass you and make you feel bad about yourself she is willing to take it. Clothes An alligator doesn’t have to wear clothes....
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...When I was four to five years old I started receiving books for my birthday, Christmas and every celebration. I read every book I received repeatedly. A friend’s house, a pool party or a road trip – whatever the occasion may be, I always brought a book along to read. Eventually I was gifted a book from a neighbor titled “Alberto the Dancing Alligator” by Richard Waring. I could not put the book down after the first time I read it. That was my first memory of being excited about a book. From the first book I read to the most recent one, reading has affected my life in various ways. As I got older, my English classes started introducing new types of literature and I was being exposed to new things. As time went on and I was being required to...
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...in the art of Ninjutsu. There were other lobsters training with him and his friend Pirate alligator. After two months the father’s lobster graduated and become a true ninja lobster. The kid lobster couldn’t think of a name so he named himself ninja lobster. One day ninja lobster’s father told him to go get some food for him to eat. He left the Dojo and went searching. Little did he now that would be the last time he saw his father. When he returned with dinner he then saw a python and a wolf with an bubble surrounding them so they can breathe. Ninja lobster sees his father swimming to the surface and he chased after him. But the...
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...Gladesmen and alligators Laura A. Ogden’s Swamplife focuses on ethnographic examination of the gladesmen and their relationship with mangroves and alligators in Everglades. Gladesmen are settlers of everglades who are poor and depend on agriculture, hunting, fishing, and selling hides. Ogden’s main concern was how the gladesmen coexisted with the gators and how their relationship was intervened by the law enforcement. According, to Matthew C. Godfrey, Ogden wrote swamp life in order to understand how gladesmen dealt with the gators, and how their experiences became illegal. She used a model, specifically rhizome to discuss the interaction of gladesmen with the environment and non human beings. Likewise, Ogden’s emphasis is on Ashley gangs whose main operations took place in the Everglades. The Ashley gang used the everglades as hid out and as a hunting ground. The everglades landscape was a protection and a shelter for gladesmen who later became outlawed by The Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission that regulated hunting and people in the region transformed hunters to poachers. Emerge of the law was a constraint to hunters and their businesses. Moreover, the alligators turned into commodities to such an extent that it attracted other people to join the business due to high return. What made out of alligator hide were shopping bags, belts, shoes and so on. While there was a high demand for alligators, the law did little to prevent hunting. Besides, Criminalization of...
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...million acre wetland ecosystem is inhibited by wetland plants that include sawgrass, bladderwort, cypress, mangrove trees, and others that serve as primary food sources and shelters for many consumers of this habitat (National Wildlife Federation, 2012). Animals The Everglades is home to numerous species of animals including those native to the lands, threatened, and considered endangered. Wildlife populaces include over 350 bird species including the Great Blue heron, great egret, and wood stork. Land dwellers that inhibit the Everglades include Alligator and crocodile reptiles, Florida panther, Burmese python, West-Indian Manatee, sea turtles, and raccoon just to name a few. The Everglades most endangered animal is the Florida panther, of which approximately only 80 now survive (National Wildlife Federation, 2012). Organisms in the Everglades Producers Consumers Decomposers Monocotyledons Manatee Bacteria Saw grass Alligator Gar Fungi Pond apple tree...
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