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Project Noah Nature School
Alligator mississippiensis
Both males and females have an "armored" body with a muscular flat tail, used in propelling the animal forward while swimming. The skin on their back is armored with embedded bony plates called osteoderms or scutes. Adult males and females have an olive brown or black color with a creamy white underside.
Bank of St. Johns River
The species, scientists say, is more than 150 million years old, managing to avoid extinction 65 million years ago when their prehistoric contemporaries, the dinosaurs, died off.
Spotted on May 22, 2014
Submitted on Jul 7, 2014
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