American Alligator

American Alligator — page 1

American Alligator — page 2 — THE AMERICAN ALLIGATOR The American alligator rests on the sunny bank own body temperature so the alligator uses of a Louisiana swamp He cannot control his the sun to warm up After hours of sleep the alligator rises to his feet Slowly he walks on his four short legs toward the water’s edge Then he slides into the swamp and disappears Alligators bask in the sun to warm themselves 5 CHAPTER ONE

American Alligator — page 3 — Once in the water the alligator is a powerful swimmer He uses his tail to propel himself while his webbed feet steer The alligator moves very quickly in the water He can reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour 32 km h or more When the alligator surfaces only his eyes and nostrils are above the water Hidden in the swamp he waits As he floats in the water the alligator begins to hunt He uses his senses of sight and smell to search for prey When an unsuspecting fish 6 Cold Weather When the weather gets cold American alligators slow down and become dormant If the temperature dips below 70 degrees Fahrenheit 21 C they stop feeding At extremely warm or cold temperatures alligators dig a den or burrow in the bank of a river pond or lake It can be as long as 65 feet 20 m The den provides alligators with a stable temperature and protection The alligator’s metabolism slows down It does not breathe as often While dormant alligators live off their own fat They do not need to feed They rarely stay in a den for longer than a week or two

American Alligator — page 4 — When it is hot an alligator will sometimes have its mouth open This is one way an alligator cools itself swims by the alligator snaps it up in his powerful jaws He swallows the prey whole The alligator can spend many hours in the water When he wants to warm up again he moves back to the shoreline He rests in a sunny spot near the water’s edge At one point an unlucky raccoon comes for a drink The alligator moves in a short burst of speed toward the raccoon He traps the prey and grabs it in 7

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