The evolutionary origin of the alligator family can be traced back to the Cretaceous (65 to 145 mya) of North America, at a time when world was an ice-free hothouse and dinosaurs were the dominant megafauna.
During the early Tertiary, a period of uneven but gradual global cooling, there appear to have been multiple dispersal events of alligatorids from North America to Eurasia, which led to a diversified group of species in what is today Europe.
The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is a large aquatic reptile that inhabits wetlands areas of the southeast Atlantic and Gulf states. It is of only two species (Chinese alligator and American alligator) of the genus Alligator. Both are native to North America.
An average male alligator weighs up to 500 pounds (225 kilograms). A female alligator generally weighs up to 250 pounds (113 kilograms).
Adult alligators are grayish-black. Their undersides are light yellow. Young alligators are also grayish-black with yellow bands and spots.
The word alligator sends chills down the spines of many people. But the American alligator seldom harms humans. Left alone, the alligator goes about the business of being an alligator and in the Glades that makes it a very important citizen.
American alligator
