American Alligator

SHOW WHAT YOU KNOW!

NAME:___________________________________________

LOCATION:______________________________________

A nest mound helps baby alligators grow inside their eggs by providing: A. Food B. Mud C. Heat D. Sticks

A lion’s bite is much stronger than an alligator’s bite. A. True B. False

Describe one difference between an alligator and a crocodile. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

4.	It is possible to find an alligator living in North Dakota. A. True B. False

5.	List one reason why American Alligators were once in danger of becoming extinct. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6.	Alligator holes help other animals by providing: A. Traps B. Land C. Homes D. Sunlight

BONUS! Draw a picture of an American Alligator. Describe one interesting fact you learned about alligators next to your picture.

ANSWER KEY:

Correct Answer: C. Heat. Information is found in the center poster in “Growing Gators” in the section titled “Nest.” Ask students, “What is a nest mound?” It is a place where alligators lay their eggs. The alligators make their nests with sticks, leaves, and mud. Ask students, “Why is a nest mount warm?” As the sticks and leaves begin to rot, they give off warmth. The warmth helps the baby alligators to grow. A possible extension question for students might be, “What other animals build nests?” Answer— birds.

Correct Answer: False. Alligators have a much stronger bite than that of a lion. Refer to “Who’s Stronger” on the poster. In fact, an alligator’s bite is more than twice as strong. To see if students can extend their thinking, you might ask them, “Why might an alligator’s bite be need to be strong?” Alligators are excellent predators and a strong bite helps them to catch prey. What types of things do alligators eat? Alligators will eat fish, birds, turtles, frogs, and other small mammals.

Alligators and crocodiles differ in a few distinct ways, as explained in “Gator or Croc?” in the poster. First, alligators and crocodiles have different snouts. Alligator’s snouts are short, wide, and U-shaped. Crocodiles have long, narrow, and V-shaped snouts. In addition, crocodiles show all of their teeth while its mouth is closed. Geographically, American Alligators can be found several of the southern States of the U.S. while crocodiles are found in southern Florida only.

Correct answer: False. It is not possible to find an American Alligator living in North Dakota. Refer to “The Range of the American Alligator” map as the place to find this answer. First, ask students: “Where is North Dakota?” Consider using a map of the U.S. to further illustrate this. You can then ask students, “Is that one of the states identified as being part of the range of the American Alligator?” No. The American Alligator can be found in southern states such as Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South and North Carolina, and small parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas.

There are a few possible answers to this question, as described on page 2, the continuation of the cover essay, “Everlasting Everglades” and on page 4, “Safer Passage”. The American Alligator was once almost extinct because of hunting for their skins to make fashion items such as purses and boots. People were also destroying the alligator’s habitat (swamps, marshes, and other places) for human activities. As an extension question, you could ask students, “ What happened that helped protect American Alligators from becoming extinct?” Several laws were passed to protect alligators but the biggest law was the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Ask students, “How did this law protect American Alligators?” It helped protect them from illegal hunting while also preserving their habitat.

Correct Answer: C. Homes. Refer to “Gator Holes” on poster. Gator holes are holes dug by alligators with their snouts and feet during Florida’s dry season. These holes fill up with water. The holes provide homes for other animals that need water, such as fish, turtles and snails. Ask students, “What else might these holes provide?” Gator holes also provide water during dry periods, which helps animals to survive dry periods.

BONUS: Ask students to share their drawings and describe one interesting fact that they learned. If many of the students have highlighted the same fact, ask them if they can think of other facts. Students can describe a variety of things, including the physical characteristics of alligators, alligator safety, where alligators live, why alligators were once extinct, etc. This bonus exercise can serve as a summary piece for the unit.