Facts about Alligators

1. 07

   Nesting female alligators construct mounds of vegetation and mud reaching 3 to 7 feet high to incubate their 20 to 50 eggs through internal heat generation.

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2. 06

   Extremely powerful jaw muscles enable alligators to clamp down with 3,000 pounds of force per square inch, though they lack the muscles to open their mouths against resistance.

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3. 05

   During mating season, male alligators produce infrasound calls below 20 hertz that can travel through water for miles to attract females across vast swamp territories.

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4. 04

   Saltwater intrusion into Florida's freshwater swamps during high tides allows alligators to tolerate saline environments for brief periods, though they cannot permanently survive in ocean water like crocodiles.

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5. 03

   A single alligator can replace each of its 80 teeth up to 50 times throughout its lifetime, with new teeth growing in within weeks of tooth loss.

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6. 02

   American alligators can hold their breath underwater for up to 7 hours by entering a state of reduced metabolism.

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7. 01

   Over 200 million years of evolution has allowed alligators to remain virtually unchanged since the Mesozoic Era, making them living dinosaur descendants.

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