2006-12-28 06:26:38 · 21 answers · asked by haleybobaily 1 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Alligator mississippiensis
(American alligator)
While there are currently no methods to find out the age of an alligator that is still alive, it is known that those in the wild tend to live to between 35 and 50 year, while those captive can live longer, ca. 65-80 years.
Successful hunting by and accidents with humans is the main reason for shorter live span in the wild. Adult alligators have no other enemy but humans and other older, bigger alligators.
btw. alligators making naughty allegations tend to be adult.
2006-12-28 06:36:22 · answer #1 · answered by Yttl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Crocodilians evolved 240 million years ago. They share a common ancestor with dinosaurs, the thecodontians. Thecondontians gave rise to protosuchians which eventually led to the development of crodilians, but also to sphenosuchians (extinct), rauisuchians (extinct), aetosaurs (extinct), phytosaurs (extinct), dinosaurs (extinct), and birds. So the only surviving members of the Thecondontian lineage are crocodilians and birds. Odd what changes were made throughout the Mesozoic till now.
Alligators have been around in present form since the early Tertiary --about 65-70 million years ago. Their ancestors preyed on dinosaurs, just as a Nile crocodile preys on large prey like zebra.
Hope that answers your question.
2006-12-28 10:26:49 · answer #2 · answered by Jenn 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The alligator from the song...see you later alligator...is about 57 years old.But,two years ago I saw an alligator in Orlando Florida,very old.I know that because he had braces in the upper-teeth-line.He is ( still alive) l43 years old.How do I know?.I saw the same one in a picture with George Washington.Believe or not...
2006-12-28 06:45:28 · answer #3 · answered by Mario Vinny D 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Aligators can live up to 100 years. You have to check his teeth to find out. Just stick your head in there. Check his dentine.
2006-12-28 06:30:26 · answer #4 · answered by GJfromfla 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Which one? are you asking for their sizes? because age is defined by the time day got born.
Family: Alligatoridae
Genus/species: Alligator mississippiensis
Description
The average size for an adult female American alligator is 8.2 feet (2.6 m), and the average size for a male is 11.2 feet (3.4 m). Exceptionally large males can reach a weight of nearly half a ton or 1,000 pounds.
2006-12-28 06:32:31 · answer #5 · answered by Chiquitita 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Alligators can live up to 60 years in captivity, but in the wild they rarely live more than 50 years.
2006-12-28 06:34:47 · answer #6 · answered by pseudonym 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you measure from the tip of the nose to his eyes and multiply by 5, this is how old he is. For example If its 8 inches he is roughly 40 yrs old
2006-12-28 06:33:56 · answer #7 · answered by Mike S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
At one of them is nearly a year old. But he might not be the one you had in mind.
Y'all have to give us just a little more to work on here.
2006-12-28 06:56:06 · answer #8 · answered by Redneck Crow 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The one in my tub is about 22 years old.
2006-12-28 06:42:42 · answer #9 · answered by Rowdy Yayhoot 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How long do they live? If that's what you meant then, 35-50 years in the wild. This site is quite good: http://www.qeok.com/reptiles/1772-qeok.html
But for to tell how old one is, then this site is good: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodilia#Teeth_and_jaws
2006-12-28 06:28:54 · answer #10 · answered by Sami 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋