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OUR CLOCK CATALOG
#211 ALLIGATOR CLOCK
CLOCKS ARE
$21.99 EACH
ALLIGATOR CLOCK
IS APPROX. 9 INCHES IN DIAMETER - POWERED BY ONE AA
BATTERY (NOT INCLUDED.) OUR ALLIGATOR ACCENT QUARTZ
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ALLIGATOR FACTS:
FOOD HABITS
Alligators are opportunistic
feeders. Their diets include prey species that are abundant and
easily accessible. Juvenile alligators eat primarily insects,
amphibians, small fish, and other invertebrates. Adult
alligators eat rough fish, snakes, turtles, small mammals, and
birds.
SIZE
Female alligators rarely exceed 9
feet in length, but males can grow much larger. The
Florida state record for length is a 14 foot 5/8 inch male
from Lake Monroe in Seminole County. The
Florida record for weight is a 1,043 pound (13 feet 10 1/2
inches long) male from Orange Lake in Alachua County.
REPRODUCTION
Nearly all alligators become
sexually mature by the time they reach approximately 7 feet in
length although females can reach maturity at 6 feet. A female
may require 10-15 years and a male 8-12 years to reach that
length. Courtship begins in early April, and mating occurs in
May or June. Females build a mound nest of soil, vegetation, or
debris and deposit an average of 32 to 46 eggs in late June or
early July. Incubation requires approximately 60-65 days, and
hatching occurs in late August or early September.
SURVIVAL
The average clutch size of an alligator nest is 35. From
this, an estimated 15 live hatchlings will emerge. Only 6
alligator hatchlings will live to one year. Of these yearlings,
5 will become subadults (reach 4 feet in length). The number of
subadults that reach maturity (6 feet in length) is
approximately 4. These estimates are for a growing alligator
population. As an alligator population matures (and has a
higher percentage of large animals), the survival rate would be
expected to be lower, in part, due to a higher rate of
cannibalism.
MORTALITY
Eggs:
Alligator eggs are susceptible to
drowning, being crushed by the female, predation, and other less
common calamities. Raccoons are the primary predator, although
hogs, otters, and bears have been reported to depredate nests.
Juveniles:
Small alligators are eaten by a variety of predators including
raccoons, otters, wading birds, and fish; however, larger
alligators may be their most significant predator.
Adults:
Cannibalism, intraspecific
fighting, and hunting by humans are probably the most
significant mortality factors.
Diseases and Parasites:
Very little information is available
in the scientific literature on wild alligator diseases and
parasites. They are not believed to be a significant problem for
wild alligators.
DISTRIBUTION
Alligators occur from southeast
Oklahoma and east Texas on the western side of their range to
North Carolina and Florida in the east. They prefer fresh
water lakes and slow-moving rivers and their associated
wetlands, but they also can be found in brackish water habitats.
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