2007-02-28 01:40:24 · 5 answers · asked by susan s 1 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
No can do. Alligators grow at different rates depending on how much they're eating, etc. You can get a slight idea of age by the size of their teeth, the bigger the teeth, the older the animal. And typically a younger alligator will retain it's juvenile striping a bit more than an older one, but i've seen nearly pure black alligators less than 5 years old, so there goes that theory....
I like to think the ones that are all scarred up from fights are a bit older than the ones that aren't, but that's no indication either.
-Supposedly- you can take a cross-section of a male alligator's femur, look at it under a microscope and count the growth rings. I don't think that he'll willingly give you his femur, though.
The only way to know how old an alligator is is to mark it somehow at birth so you know which one you're looking at, and count his hatchdays. (you know, hatchdays, kinda like birthdays....)
2007-03-01 22:53:47 · answer #1 · answered by gimmenamenow 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can't. Alligators and most crocodilians can vary in size from individual to individual: Just because a given species is listed as reaching lengths of eight feet, for example (Spectacled Caiman), doesn't mean that this IS the length a given animal will reach. It's like seeing Micheal Jordon, and concluding that people exceed six feet in heigth. Not most of us! To add to the details, growth rates between any two specimens is rarely identical--if it's even close at all. You can get somewhat close by using size as an estimation... but even professional keepers feel lucky if they're even within a decade of being correct. There are just too many factors to account for: Types of food offered, frequency of feeding, average overall temperature of the environment, and of course the animal's individual genetics all come to mind.
2007-02-28 08:42:09 · answer #2 · answered by writersblock73 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its size is usually a good indication. Also, if its wearing jewelry and stuff like that its probably an adult because "kid" alligators are eaten by their parents if they disobey them
2007-02-28 01:50:02 · answer #3 · answered by Master Ang Gi Guong 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Brilliant cheers
2016-03-18 03:30:31 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Im Not Suree If You Can ,
2007-02-28 01:43:43 · answer #5 · answered by dO yOu wanna piece Of me :-D[8]? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋