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Explore the animals
Hermann's tortoiseGreen iguana
Photo of the American alligator
North AmericaLeast concern

American alligator

Alligator mississippiensis

A big reptile of the swamps of the south-eastern USA, with a wide, rounded snout.

Weight
Up to 450 kg
Size
Up to 4.5 m long
Lifespan
About 50 years
Top speed
About 15 km/h on land
Diet
Carnivore

How heavy is that?

As heavy as 11 kids (40 kg each)

Where it lives

Three things to know

  1. Its eyes, ears and nostrils sit on top of its head.
  2. Mothers guard their nests and help the babies out.
  3. It was endangered in 1967; today there are millions.
Try the body explorerSee its neighbours

Compare with…

Weight
American alligator450 kg
A 10-year-old kid40 kg
The American alligator weighs about 11× as much as the kid
Size
American alligator4.5 m
A 10-year-old kid1.4 m
The American alligator is about 3× as big as the kid
Top speed
American alligator15 km/h
A 10-year-old kid20 km/h
The kid is about 1.3× as fast as the American alligator
Lifespan
American alligator50 yrs
A 10-year-old kid80 yrs
The kid can live about 1.6× as long as the American alligator

Food chain

  1. Tiny algaeProducer
  2. Small fish
  3. American alligatorThis animal

Nothing hunts a healthy adult