Louisiana Swamp Tour

The American alligator has four short legs, a broad, round snout, a long and powerful tail and a rough hide with scales. Adult males can grow up to 20 feet long and weigh up to half a ton, though on average, males are about 11 feet long, while females are about 8 feet.

American alligators have nostrils that face upward, which allows them to breathe when the rest of them is submerged underwater.

Alligators feed on fish, turtles, snakes, birds and mammals, and will even engage in the cannibalistic practice of eating other alligators.

American alligators can live up to 50 years in the wild, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Alligators are generally very solitary animals and, contrary to popular belief, alligators rarely attack humans, unless provoked to do so, particularly when they are protecting their eggs or young.

After mating, a female will construct a nest where she will lay up to 50 eggs. The rotting vegetation in the nest keeps the eggs warm and the temperature of the nest will determine the sex of the hatchlings. If the eggs are incubated over 93 degrees Fahrenheit, the embryos will develop into males, while in temperatures below 86 degrees Fahrenheit, embryos will develop into females. In temperatures between 86 and 93 degrees Fahrenheit an embryo could develop into a male or female.
Source: Live Science