An alligator can sit like this for hours waiting for something edible to wander nearby. If it is lurking in the shadows at a pond's edge, this posture can make an alligator impossible to detect. When lurking, only the eyes and nostrils are above the waterline. And, in very cold water, an alligator can last up to eight hours submerged. In a pinch, an alligator can stay underwater for two hours if it is at rest. A typical dive might last 10 to 20 minutes. Alligators can stay underwater for quite a while. Flaps close off the ears and nostrils, the inner eyelids protect the eyes and a special flap called the palatal valve closes at the back of the throat to keep water out of the throat, stomach and lungs. When swimming underwater, alligators are water tight. While an alligator is sitting about or swimming, these inner eyelids protect the alligator's eyes and provide clearer vision in the underwater environment. The inner lids are clear and close back-to-front. They are made of skin and close top-to-bottom. This makes it possible for an alligator to escape from most situations on land and get into the water.Īlligator eyes have two sets of eyelids. For comparison, the fastest humans running at world-record times in a 100 meter dash, are running about 20 MPH (32 KPH), but a typical adult human is no faster than an alligator. Photo courtesy of Alligator Adventures in Myrtle Beach, SCĮven though alligators are huge and cold-blooded, they can be quite fast, with a top speed of 11 MPH (17 KPH) over short distances. While there are reports of one alligator, held in captivity, that lived to be well over 100 years old, something like 40 years might be a more typical old age for alligators living in the wild. This limits their range to the warmer, wetter areas in the southeastern United States from Texas to North Carolina.

Because they are cold-blooded reptiles, alligators are not big fans of cold weather. (There is a nice interactive presentation on Utan available at the Alligator Adventures Web site.)Īlligators are fresh-water animals and can be found in lakes, ponds, rivers and irrigation canals. He is claimed to be the largest living Crocodylian in captivity. At the Alligator Adventures alligator park in Myrtle Beach, SC, a very large crocodile named Utan weighs in at 2,000 pounds and is almost 20 feet long.

Males can actually get much larger - 1,000 pounds is not unusual. Females are, on average, about 8 feet long and weigh about half as much as male alligators. Male alligators are, on average, about 11 feet (3.5 meters) long and 600 pounds (270 kg).

Alabama female alligator wrestler