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Alligator mississippiensis
The American alligator has a large, slightly rounded body, with thick limbs, a broad head, and a very powerful tail. Adult Alligators generally have dark grey or nearly black color. They may at times appear to be lighter based on detritus or algae in the water covering their skin. Juvenile alligators have a striped pattern for camouflage that they lose as they mature. Averaging about 9.5 in (24 cm) in length when newly hatched, alligators reach sexual maturity when they measure about 5–7 ft (1.5–2.1 m).[3] Adult male alligators average 11.2 ft (3.4 m) in length, while adult females average 8.2 to 9.8 ft (2.5 to 3.0 m).[4][5][6][7] Average adult body weights are reported from 270 to 800 lb (120 to 360 kg), with a few exceptionally large and old males exceeding 14 ft (4.3 m) and 1,000 pounds (450 kg).[8][9][10]
Swamps, wetlands and streams.
This young gator surprised me when he snapped this crayfish next to the trail I was on. I turned and clicked a series of shots...
Great picture. That would be a great addition to the Gulf Coast Wildlife mission. http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/1049...
Hi Will! Where you know the common name of the species, please could you look up & add the scientific name - it is very easy to do on a Google search. That takes the spotting out of the "unknown" list. We would also appreciate it if you could add a reference link & complete some info in the details field for your spottings.
Awesome. And he's got a pretty satisfied look on his face at the end. Love that you included that last shot!
That is so wonderful, Will!
Can I ask you to upload picture number 6 again? It seems it didn't upload properly, sorry!
that crayfish cannot be easy to eat... especially as Alligators don't tend to chew.... :)