Allig

ators

Los c

aimán

es en

la Fl

orida

All

Abo

ut

2n I

s a

pow

erfu

l rep

tile

desc

ende

d fro

m d

inos

aurs

th

at li

ved

mor

e th

an 2

00 m

illio

n ye

ars

ago.

n D

eriv

es it

s na

me

from

the

Sp

anis

h w

ord

for

lizar

d, e

l lag

arto

.

n I

s a

spec

ies

of s

pec

ial c

once

rn in

Flo

rida;

lis

ted

fed

eral

ly a

s th

reat

ened

due

to

its s

imila

rity

in a

pp

eara

nce

to t

he A

mer

ican

cro

cod

ile.

n I

s a

cold

-blo

oded

ani

mal

(ect

othe

rm) l

ike

snak

es, l

izar

ds

and

tur

tles,

and

may

not

eat

for

mon

ths

whe

n te

mp

erat

ures

are

bel

ow 7

3˚ F

.

n B

asks

in t

he s

un t

o w

arm

its

scal

y b

ody.

n I

s d

arkl

y co

lore

d, w

ith a

bro

ad s

nout

and

la

rge

ridge

s on

its

bac

k an

d t

ail c

alle

d s

cute

s

(pro

noun

ced

sco

ots)

.

n L

ives

for

30 t

o 35

yea

rs in

the

wild

; can

live

fo

r m

ore

than

50

year

s in

cap

tivity

.

n A

s a

mal

e, c

an w

eigh

mor

e th

an 1

,000

p

ound

s an

d g

row

as

long

as

19 fe

et.

n C

reat

es ‘g

ator

hol

es t

hat

sup

por

t fis

h an

d

othe

r w

ildlif

e d

urin

g th

e d

ry s

easo

n.

n E

ats

just

ab

out

anyt

hing

— fi

sh, b

irds,

tur

tles,

cr

abs,

rac

coon

s, d

ogs,

cat

s, s

nake

s, d

ead

an

imal

s an

d e

ven

othe

r al

ligat

ors.

n S

talk

s an

d d

row

ns o

r cr

ushe

s its

pre

y q

uick

ly

and

sile

ntly

.

n H

as ja

ws

stro

ng e

noug

h to

cru

sh t

he s

hell

of

a tu

rtle

.

n R

ips

and

sw

allo

ws

its fo

od b

ut c

anno

t ch

ew.

n C

an s

tay

bel

ow w

ater

for

mor

e th

an 2

hou

rs

dur

ing

win

ter.

n S

wim

s ve

ry fa

st a

nd is

cap

able

of l

ungi

ng o

n la

nd.

n M

oves

on

land

by

liftin

g its

bod

y an

d w

alki

ng

or r

unni

ng o

n its

toe

s.

n L

ives

in fr

esh

and

bra

ckis

h w

ater

, inc

lud

ing

golf

cour

se w

ater

haz

ard

s, c

anal

s, la

kes,

m

arsh

es, s

wam

ps,

riv

ers,

cre

eks,

and

pon

ds.

n H

as 4

sho

rt le

gs, w

ith 5

toe

s on

its

fron

t fe

et

and

4 w

ebb

ed t

oes

on it

s hi

nd fe

et t

hat

assi

st

with

sw

imm

ing.

n B

ecom

es s

exua

lly m

atur

e at

6 fe

et in

leng

th.

Mal

es t

rave

l far

, in

wat

er o

r on

land

, to

find

a

mat

e.

n C

onst

ruct

s a

nest

of s

ticks

, lea

ves

and

mud

to

incu

bat

e he

r eg

gs fo

r ab

out

65 d

ays.

The

te

mp

erat

ure

of t

he n

est

det

erm

ines

the

gen

der

of

the

bab

ies.

Low

er t

emp

erat

ures

pro

duc

e fe

mal

es; h

ighe

r te

mp

erat

ures

yie

ld m

ales

.

n U

nlik

e m

ost

fem

ale

rep

tiles

, gua

rds

her

nest

un

til h

er 2

0 to

50

eggs

hat

ch, a

nd p

rote

cts

her

youn

g fie

rcel

y.

The

Am

eric

an a

lliga

tor

(Alli

gato

r mis

siss

ippi

ensi

s)

All

allig

ator

s, w

her

ever

yo

u m

ay e

nco

un

ter

them

,

ar

e p

oten

tial

ly d

ang

erou

s

and

you

sh

ould

avo

id t

hem

.

A S

PE

CIA

L TH

AN

KS

TO

OU

R S

PO

NS

OR

S:

Kiw

anis

Clu

b of

San

ibel

-Cap

tiva

Isla

nds

Illus

trat

ions

by

D

ave

And

erso

n

© 2

010,

L. L

agar

to

3

Alli

gato

rs li

ve in

fres

h an

d b

rack

ish

wat

er —

gol

f cou

rse

wat

er h

azar

ds,

can

als,

lake

s, m

arsh

essw

amp

s, r

iver

s, c

reek

s, a

nd p

ond

s —

all

of w

hich

are

pre

vale

nt in

the

Sta

te o

f Flo

rida

Cai

mán

es v

iven

en

lago

s, c

anal

es, r

ios,

pan

tano

s, c

amp

os d

e go

lf

y en

otr

os s

itios

con

agu

a fr

esca

o li

gera

men

te s

alad

a

CA

UT

ION

DO NO

T:–

Appro

ach

– Feed

– H

ara

ss

$5

00

FIN

E

4M

ale

allig

ator

s ca

n w

eigh

mor

e th

an _

____

____

_ p

ound

s an

d g

row

as

long

as

____

____

feet

Cai

mán

es m

ascu

linos

pue

nden

pes

ar m

ás d

e __

____

lib

ras

y p

ued

en c

rece

r m

ás d

e __

____

pie

s

ALL

IGAT

OR

TH

EA

MA

ZIN

G

Ans

wer

s on

pag

e 2

How

big

can

he g

et?

100

poun

ds25

0 po

unds

500

poun

ds75

0 po

unds

1,00

0 po

unds

15 f

eet

19 f

eet

23 f

eet

27 f

eet

31 f

eet

Fem

ale

allig

ator

s p

rote

ct t

heir

nest

s an

d y

oung

5U

na m

amá

pro

tégé

su

háb

itat

y su

s cr

ías

6A

lliga

tors

can

’t te

ll th

e d

iffer

ence

bet

wee

n fo

od a

nd t

he h

and

tha

t of

fers

itC

aim

ánes

no

sab

en la

dife

renc

ia e

ntre

com

ida

y la

man

o q

ue o

frec

e es

a co

mid

a

7H

and

-fed

alli

gato

rs lo

se t

heir

fear

of h

uman

sC

aim

ánes

no

tiene

n m

ied

o a

las

per

sona

s q

uien

es le

s d

an c

omid

aDO NO

TFE

ED!

$5

00

fine

and

/or

60

days

in jail

8 As Masters of the Marsh, alligators maintain a balance among species. They find plenty of food in their habitat and don’t need humans to feed them.

9Como dueños del pantano, caimánes mantienen un equilibrio sober especies. Ellos encuentran comida en sus hábitates y no necesitan que seres humanos les den comida.

10M

any

anim

als

use

‘gat

or h

oles

dur

ing

the

dry

sea

son

Muc

hos

anim

ales

usa

n ho

yos

don

de

vive

n ca

imán

es c

uand

o ha

y se

quí

as

11A

void

ap

pro

achi

ng a

lliga

tors

or

crou

chin

g ne

ar fr

esh/

bra

ckis

h w

ater

No

te a

cerc

as a

los

caim

ánes

o a

los

luga

res

don

de

ello

s vi

ven

12

901

2

3

4

5 6

10

11

12

13 14

16

15

17

1819

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36 37

38

39

40 41

42 43

44

4546

47

48

49

50

5152

53

54

55

56

57

58

5960 61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

7374

7576

77

78

79

8081

8283

84

8586

8788 89

7

8

9

Chi

ldre

n sh

ould

nev

er p

lay

near

or

in b

rack

ish/

fres

h w

ater

Niñ

os n

unca

deb

en d

e ju

gar

en a

gua

fres

ca o

lige

ram

ente

sal

ada.

No

deb

en d

e ju

gar

cerc

a d

e es

tos

sitio

s ta

mp

oco.

13P

ets

shou

ld b

e le

ashe

d a

nd k

ept

away

from

fres

h/b

rack

ish

wat

erN

o d

ejas

que

tu

per

ro o

ani

mal

dom

éstic

o se

ace

rca

a ag

ua fr

esca

o li

gera

men

te s

alad

a

14S

wim

onl

y in

des

igna

ted

are

asP

ued

es n

adar

sol

amen

te e

n zo

nas

que

han

sid

o d

ecla

rad

as p

ara

nata

ción

Swim

min

gA

rea

15D

ense

veg

etat

ion

alon

g fr

esh/

bra

ckis

h w

ater

dis

cour

ages

alli

gato

rs fr

om e

nter

ing

your

yar

dVe

geta

ción

tup

ida

a lo

larg

o d

e ag

ua fr

esca

o li

gera

men

te s

alad

a p

ued

e im

ped

ie a

los

caim

ánes

de

entr

ar a

tú

pat

io

Aha

nd-f

ed a

lliga

tor.

..can

not

tell

the

diff

eren

ce b

etw

een

a p

iece

of

food

and

the

han

d t

hat

offe

rs i

t...l

oses

its

fea

r of

hum

ans.

..bec

omes

a n

uisa

nce.

..will

be

trap

ped

and

des

troy

ed.

This

pow

erfu

l re

ptil

e m

ay a

ttac

k

anyt

hing

or

anyb

ody

that

ent

ers

its te

rrito

ry, s

o p

ets

and

hum

ans

of

all

ages

m

ust

stay

aw

ay

from

fr

esh

and

b

rack

ish

wat

er

ever

ywhe

re in

Flo

rida.

For

mor

e in

form

atio

n, v

isit

ww

w.M

yFW

C.c

om

/gat

ors

The

End

Co

ntra

ry t

o p

op

ular

bel

ief,

a h

uman

can

not

elud

e an

alli

gat

or

by

runn

ing

in a

zig

-zag

pat

tern

.