Alligator facts

• The average lifespan of an alligator is approximately 50 years.
• Alligators and crocodiles jaws are hinged the same. Both animals hinge their jaws on the bottom, the top jaw is simply an extension of the skull.
• The name alligator is an anglicized form of el lagarto, the Spanish term for "lizard", which early Spanish explorers and settlers in Florida called the alligator.
• Alligators have 5 toes on the front legs and 4 toes on the back.
• Alligators are not immune to snake poison. However, they do have extremely tough skin, and an armored back protected by bony plates called scutes. It is possible that this protection may prevent a
• snake's fangs from penetrating the skin.
• The nostrils of an alligator face upward so they can breathe while the rest of their body is underwater.
• Although the tail of the alligator is considered the prime cut, all the meat of the alligator is edible.
• Alligators can run at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. However that speed can only be maintained for a very short distance.
• Alligators are only found in the countries of the United States and China.
• The alligator is notorious for its bone crushing bites. In addition, the alligator has been described as a "living fossil", having been extant for 200 million years, beginning in the Mesozoic Era.