The American alligator has a large, dark, slightly rounded body and thick limbs. Grunting is a sound they produce to keep in touch when they are moving from one area to the other. They live in freshwater wetlands in the southeastern United States. While their physical adaptations make black bears great at getting food, their behavioral adaptations allow them to be more efficient hunters. Comp. Freshwater swamps, marshes, lakes and slow-moving rivers; Diet. 641-646, 1984 Printed in Great Britain 0300-9629/84 .00 + 0.00 1984 Pergamon Press Ltd ADAPTATIONS OF CROCODYLUS ACUTUS AND ALLIGATOR FOR LIFE IN SALINE WATER FRANK J. MAZZOTTI and WILLIAM A. DUNSON Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, 208 Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, USA. 4 – Alligators first appeared some 37 million years ago, during the Oligocene era, making them officially ‘living dinosaurs’. The American Alligator is the official state reptile of three states in the US: Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana. 3 – The American Alligator is much the larger of the two, being around 13 ft (4m) long and 360 kg (790 lb) in weight, while the Chinese Alligator is only around 2.1 m (7 ft) long. 79A, No. American Alligator length; They can be as large as 15 feet. Behavioral Adaptations. American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis Range. The alligator uses its powerful tail to propel itself through water. Biggest American Alligator ever recorded was 15 feet and 9 inches large and 1011 lbs in weight. The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is the largest reptile in North America. They hum when content and puff when they approach each other with good intentions. The largest alligator on record was in Louisiana and measured 19.2 ft (5.84 m). While alligators move very quickly in water, they are generally slow-moving on land. 4, pp. Physiol. But, The average size of a female American Alligator can be up to 8.2 feet while the average size of males is found around 11.2 feet. Vol. American Alligator Weight; They can be 1000 lbs or say 450kg. This is an adaptation lions have developed to communicate within their group. That means that alligators were basking in rivers around the time dinosaurs became extinct. The American alligator can grow up to 11.2 feet (3.4 meters) long and weight nearly half a ton (1,000 lbs. They can, however, move quickly for short distances. Biochem. Behavioral Adaptations Vocalizations. The alligator is often described as “a living fossil” as it has evolved little over the past 65 million years. or 454 kilograms), according to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Southeast United States; Habitat.