Airboat tours and alligators go together like peas and carrots. If you want to see gators in their natural habitat, airboats are the safest way. But before you go on an alligator tour, you might want to get to know these creatures first.
Alligators are large, semi-aquatic carnivorous reptiles. They have four small legs and a huge, long tail. The tail is half the animal’s total length. The alligator tail helps propel it through the water and they use it to make pools of water during the dry seasons.
Alligators also use tails as a weapon and store fat that they can use for nourishment during the winter. Like most reptiles, alligators do not make their own body heat. These creatures gain body heat by basking in the sun and moving between hot and cool locations.
How Big Can Alligators Get?
Alligators can grow to more than 12 feet or 3.6 meters in length. They weigh as much as 1,000 pounds or 450 kilograms. On average, male alligators are a bit larger than females.
Sometimes, people confuse alligators with crocodiles. That’s because they have similar shapes, features, and behavior. But you can distinguish alligators from crocodiles by the following differences:
● Alligators have a U-shaped, shorter snout
● The upper jaw of alligators is wider than the lower jaw, overlapping it.
● Alligators’ lower teeth are usually hidden when they close their mouth. They fit into sockets in the upper jaw.
● Alligators’ salt glands are non-functional.
● Alligators’ sensory pits are near their jaws.
Can Crocodiles and Alligators Mate?
Here’s the question: Can crocodiles and alligators mate? No, they cannot. While they look similar and related, they split into separate genera a long time ago.
Crocodiles and alligators are two different species. As such, they are unable to mate together to produce offspring. One of the reasons is that the DNA counts of each animal are different.
So, how do alligators reproduce?
Alligators reproduce through internal fertilization. Alligators are oviparous. So, after fertilization takes place, the female alligators lay eggs.
American alligators are seasonal breeders and they breed once each year. The breeding season begins in April and lasts throughout June. The eggs usually hatch within 60 days. Alligators can produce two to 58 offspring at a time.
American alligators are polyandrous animals. It means that one male alligator can mate with several females. But one male usually mates with only one female per breeding season. And each season, a male alligator will breed with a different female.
Get To Know More About Alligators
Are you interested to know more about alligators? Swamp Fever Airboat Adventures can help you get up close and personal with them. We offer the best airboat rides in Orlando, Florida. Our services include swamp tours, airboat tours, and alligator tours.
