Written and Illustrated by: Mrs. Moxley’s Kindergarten Class

2 An alligator is a carnivore reptile with 80 sharp teeth in its strong jaws. Fun Fact: Did you know an alligator can grow new teeth when it looses some?

3 The cold-blooded alligator has short legs and a long body with horny-scales covering it.

4 On the alligator's head, the ears are behind the eyes under flaps of skin. Fun Fact: Did you know an alligator has 3 eyelids? One eyelid is for seeing under water.

5 An alligator can be black, brown or gray in color. It is in the same family as the crocodile.

There are two ways to tell the difference between a gator and a croc. A gator's snout is "U" shaped and a croc's snout is "V" shaped. 6

Another difference is when their mouths are closed. You can see only the top teeth on a gator. A croc shows both its top and bottom teeth. 7

An alligator eats any kind of meat such as fish, snakes, birds, wild boars, frogs, antelope, turtles and other small mammals when it is hungry. 8 Fun Fact: Alligators will even eat any animal that is already dead!

9 Believe it or not, an Alligator even eats Tin cans, branches and rocks!

10 An alligator watches and sneaks up on its prey by having only its eyes and nostrils up out of the water.

11 The alligator leaps at its prey. It snaps the animal into its strong jaws. Fun Fact: Alligator’s can’t chew, because their tongue is connected to their bottom jaw.

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13 If the animal is big, the alligator drags it into the water and drowns it. Fun Fact: Alligators have to twist and jerk pieces off of the large animal to swallow it.

Swamps, ponds, rivers, lakes and bayous are homes to the alligator. Theses places are freshwater wetlands. 14 Bayous Rivers Lakes Swamps Ponds

15 The alligator is a great swimmer thanks to its long strong tail and its webbed feet. Fun Fact: An alligator can hold its breath for one hour under water.

16 Did you know an alligator can run as fast as a horse for a short distance?

17 The mama alligator makes an enormous nest on land with sticks, mud, grass and leaves for her eggs. Fun Fact: The mama alligator Is gentle and protecting to her babies.

18 The mama lays 60 to 80 eggs in her nest. It takes three months for the eggs to hatch.

19 Eek! Let us out! The babies make a squeaky noise to let the mama know they are ready to hatch. Fun Fact: Baby alligators have a special egg tooth to crack their egg shells open.

20 Once the babies hatch, the mama is ready to gently carry her babies in her massive mouth to the water.

21 The alligators continue to grow one foot every year after they are born. The babies live with their mama for only two years. Then they begin to live on their own.

22 I Am An Alligator I am a cold-blooded carnivore. I live in the wetlands of the south. I use my wide webbed feet and strong tail to swim in the swampy water. I see underwater with my clear third eyelid. I submerge in the water to sneak up on my prey. I twist and jerk pieces off a large animal to chomp down on and swallow. I run as fast as a horse for short distances. I am a cold-blooded meat-eating alligator. Written By: Mrs. Moxley’s Kindergarten Class

23 carnivore- an animal that eats meat. mammal- a warm-blooded animal including a human that has hair on the skin and can give milk to its baby. prey- an animal that is food for another animal that wants to eat it. reptile- a cold-blooded egg laying animal that has horny-scales covering the outside of its body. wetland- land where the dirt is covered with water.

24 Books: Alligators, Adele Richardson All About Alligators, Jim Arnosky Internet Websites: alligator/ Internet Images: fotopedia.comcommons.wikimedia.orgimages.nbii.gov flickr.comfotocommunity.comfrank.itlab.us geograph.org.ukblm.govwikihow.com