Where Do Alligators Come From? Unraveling the Mystery

 

Adult alligators look intimidating but they weren’t always like that. These reptiles started life as squishy eggs!

A female alligator will build a nest in preparation for becoming a mother. She will use different vegetation, grass, and mud. Most gator nests are 3 ½ to 6 feet wide and up to 2 feet high. Mother gators can lay anywhere from 20 to 70 eggs. These are cylindrical.

Alligator eggs are quite sturdy because they’re made up of two layers. The outer layer is hard like chicken eggs. The second layer is supple like leather. The hard shell becomes thinner as the baby alligator grows. It will become soft and squishy when it’s time for the gators to emerge. The tiny baby alligator will work hard to break out of its shell. It gets help from the egg tooth on its nose.

Here are some interesting facts about alligators. Both baby gators and chicks have an egg tooth. It’s a little bony spike that helps hatchlings penetrate the eggshell from within. These tiny protrusions will disappear after a few weeks.

The temperature of the nest helps determine the alligator's gender. Warm eggs will make male alligators. Female gators occur when nest temperatures are lower.

Why are Gators Only Found in Two Countries?

Alligators are only found in two countries. These are China and the United States. Their larger cousin, the crocodile, is present in every continent. Well, every continent except Europe and Antarctica.

How did this happen? It is a wonder that gators are native to China, the US, and nowhere else. The fact that these two countries are worlds apart is mind-blowing.

Experts say the continental drift theory can explain this phenomenon. China was first connected to the Americas by Laurasia. This landmass is a supercontinent. It’s the northern half of Pangea. Gators wandered across Laurasia millions of years ago.

Laurasia broke apart over time. The land connecting China and the Americas disappeared. This left alligators without a way to move between the two areas. It explains why these reptiles are only found in these two countries. The alligators in the two regions evolved and adapted to their environment. It’s why American gators look different from Chinese alligators.

When Do Alligators Become Adults?

Maturity is a weird concept when it comes to alligators. These reptiles stay with their mothers from the time they hatch until they’re two years old. They’ll experience an impressive growth spurt in the first five years of their life. They will grow by about 10 inches a year during that time.

Alligators are often considered mature by their 6th year. Their growth rate slows down by this time. Adult gators also cannot mate until they reach a length of six feet. This often happens in their 10th or 12th year.

Data shows female gators take as much as 10 to 15 years to become mature enough to mate. Males take around 8 to 12 years to reach sexual maturity.

Here are more alligator fun facts. Did you know that the largest alligator ever recorded reached 15 feet and 9 inches long? The Stokes alligator reached that legendary status in 2014. This was when hunters captured it in Alabama.

A team of hunters caught this 1,000lb reptile. The Stokes brothers and their hunting team found this alligator in a creek near their camp. It took them three hours to subdue this reptile.