What Do Alligators Eat?

Often confused with each other, alligators are different from crocodiles.

• Alligators have a rounded snout, and they spot a black color.
• Crocodiles have narrow pointed snouts, and they are grey-green.

Differences Between Crocodiles and Alligators and Gharials

Crocodiles, alligators, and gharials are giant aquatic reptiles that exist in regions throughout the world. Explore critical differences between them.

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American Alligator’s diet includes invertebrates, amphibians, mammals, fish, and birds. Actual animal examples that are this animal’s prey include the green tree frog, feral hog, largemouth bass, spotted gar, and the yellow mud turtle.

• The American alligator at times feeds on non-prey items which may include rocks and bottle caps.
• As its name suggests, the American alligator is native to North America. It has the most extensive distribution globally compared to the Chinese alligator.
• Its scientific name is Alligator mississippiensis. It inhabits temperate regions, especially those bordering freshwater environs.
• They have also been noted to occupy human-made water sources.

Chinese Allegator is a nocturnal predator feeding on small mammals, waterfowl, snails, clams, and fish.

• This alligator’s scientific name is Alligator sinensis. Compared to the American alligators, the Chinese alligators are smaller.
• It is also a critically endangered species with only a population of a few hundred. The Chinese alligators typically live on the lower Yangtze River basin in China.
• Their habitat regions include temperate, freshwater, terrestrial, and tropical areas.
• These regions include ponds, wetlands, lakes, and freshwater rivers and streams.

Hunting for alligators is a dynamic process.

• Alligators have sharp eyesight and functional mechanical sensory organs which play a pivotal role during hunting because it helps them sense movement in the water.
• After spotting prey, the alligators launch an attack, and they proceed to drag it underwater. This is essential because the alligator can drown it first.
• Researchers have also noted that alligators make use of tools to hunt their prey. The tools they use are intended to lure unsuspecting animals towards them.
• These giant reptiles use sticks to attract nesting birds looking for sticks to build their nests.
• If the birds get too close, the alligators attack, drown, and feed on them immediately.

Alligators are nocturnal hunters and feeders. They prefer to hunt and feed on prey at night time.

Alligators are cold-blooded, and so they do not eat as often as warm-blooded animals would.

• A grown alligator can survive for a week after eating a raccoon. How often alligators eat is also determined by the season.
• For instance, during winter, their metabolism slows down to a lethargic state, and they begin a process dubbed brumation.
• Brumation is a different kind of hibernation where alligators are involved in a deep season induced sleep. During this time, alligators do not eat as they would during summer.

Predation on alligators depends on the stage of their lifecycle. For instance, eggs, hatchlings, and juvenile alligators are predated upon by larger animals like large birds, large fish, humans, and other alligators.

• Adult alligators are at the apex of their food chain, meaning they have close to none natural predators.
• Humans kill alligators for their meat, and also for other parts of their bodies (skin and teeth).