There are two species of alligator, the American alligator found in Florida and Louisiana and the critically endangered Chinese alligator found in the Yangtze River. Alligators have lived on Earth for millions of years, can weigh over 1000 pounds, and eat a variety of animals while their gender is determined by the temperature of their eggs.

1. FACTS ABOUT ALLIGATORS
BY ZAINAB

2. Alligators have
been living on
Earth for millions
of years and are
sometimes
described as
‘living fossils’.

3. There are two different species of
alligator, the American alligator and
the Chinese alligator.

4. American Alligators are found in Florida
and Louisiana.
Chinese alligators are found in the
Yangtze River, but they are critically
endangered and only a few remain in
the wild.

5. Like other reptiles, Alligators are cold-blooded.
Alligators can weigh over 450 kg (1000 lb).
Alligators eat a range of different animals such as
fish, birds, turtles and even deer.
Alligator eggs become male or female depending on the
temperature, male in warmer temperatures and female in
cooler temperatures.

6. Alligators have a powerful bite, but the
muscles that open the jaw are relatively
weak.
An adult human could hold the jaws of an
alligator shut with their bare hands.