The alligator is believed to be a descendant of the scaly dinosaurs that roamed the earth millions of years ago. Since they have changed very little in about 200 million years ago, scientists regard them as living fossils giving us a glimpse of the animal life in the world back then.

There are two main species of alligators in the world – the Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis) and the American alligator (A. mississipiensis). The Chinese alligator is found near Shanghai, but the numbers have declined so much that this is now an endangered animal and is virtually extinct. The American alligator can be found along the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to Florida and along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

An alligator is characterized by its broad snout and the lower teeth fit into pockets in the upper jaw. On land they are very clumsy and cumbersome. It has very short legs so that when it raises its body to walk on land its belly does tend to scrape the ground and the tail, which is quite heavy, drags the ground. It is at home in the water, where it uses the tail as a propeller.

The alligator has bulging eyes that are high on its forehead. This enables it to peer around above the surface of the water when it is looking for sources of food. The ears are located just behind the eyes and are hidden under flaps. The animal has a very acute sense of hearing and is able to detect sounds from a great distance away. They spend most of the day in the water in holes because they are unable to withstand any lengths of time in the high temperatures of their natural habitat. When the weather is cool, they often come on land to lie on the damp ground where they doze in the sun.

Night is prime hunting time for alligators. The diet of the young consists of crayfish, shrimp, insects and small creatures. When fully grown, the diet progresses to large animals, such as snakes, birds, frogs and sometimes smaller mammals. During the summer they consume large quantities of food because they hibernate from October to May and during this time they eat very little.

May and June are the nesting periods for the female alligators. They build huge nests that are often over three feet in height and as much as 6 feet in diameter. When the nest is complete, the female lays between 60 to 70 eggs and covers them with plants and mud. She guards the nest until the eggs hatch, which takes about nine weeks.

While they are still growing and maturing, alligators grow at the rate of one foot each year. An adult male is about two feet longer than a female and twice as heavy. The average size of an alligator today is about 9 feet, although in the early 20th century, it was not an uncommon sight to see one that measured almost 20 feet in length.

The hide of the alligator is extremely tough, which is why it is often used to make purses and shoes. This practice no longer takes place as there are laws in the US prohibiting the hunting of alligators.