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ALLIGATOR (Span. el largato, "the lizard"), common name for two carnivorous reptiles in the crocodile order. Alligators have broad, flat, and rounded snouts, as opposed to the longer, sharper snouts of other crocodilians; also unlike other crocodilians, their lower teeth cannot be seen when their mouths are closed. Alligators feed on fish, frogs, snakes, turtles, birds, mammals, and carrion. They are also known to attack humans. Because alligators can survive a wider range of temperatures than other crocodilians, they are often found in more temperate regions, and their breeding season is generally restricted to spring. When alligators search for a mate they bellow often, perhaps to announce their presence. Unwanted intruders are confronted with ritual gaping, lunging, and hissing, but courtship behavior is sedate. After mating, the male seeks his own territory while the female builds a nest of mud and plants nearby, above flood level. The eggs, from 30 to 60 in a clutch, are covered with mud and incubated in the heat of the sun while the female stands guard. When the eggs hatch, in about 60 days, the female cares for the young, carrying them by mouth or leading them about, until the following spring.
Only two species of alligator exist: the American alligator and the Chinese
alligator.
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