Even though the reptile family of crocodiles have been around since the Cretaceous period (80 million years ago), there are actually only two species of alligator. One is the Alligator sinensis (Chinese) that is only found in the Yangtze River Basin, and the other is the Alligator mississippiensis (American) that is found in the southeastern United States.

Alligators live in fresh-water swamps, lakes, and bayous that range as far west as the Rio Grande in Texas and as far north as North Carolina. Alligators are cold-blooded (ectothermic) and warm their bodies by the sun.

Physical Features

Alligators are often mistaken for their cousins the crocodiles and caimans. However, their snouts are broader, flat, and rounded on the end. Also, their lower teeth cannot be seen when their mouths are closed.

Alligators resemble lizards in shape but with thicker bodies and tails. Their eyes stick above their skulls so they can see when their bodies are underwater. Alligators have rough, ridged skin on their backs with dozens of small bones called osteoderms or scuts. Their underbellys are smooth and were popular for making handbags, shoes, etc. Adults are a dull grey or olive in color but young alligators have yellow stripes across their bodies that fade with age.

Today, male alligators will grow to about 12 feet and weigh around 550 pounds (249 kg). Females will reach about 9 feet and 168 pounds (73 kg). Alligators' jaws are hinged on the bottom and contain about 80 very sharp teeth. When teeth are lost or damaged, new ones will continue to grow.

Family Matters

Maturity in alligators has more to do with size than age. A female will mature when she is about 6 feet in length. After mating in the spring, she will build a large nest of mud, soft twigs, and plants above flood level. She will lay a clutch of eggs (from 30 to 60) in the middle of the nest and then cover them with more mud and vegetation.

The temperature of the nest will determine the sex of the eggs. Over 93 degrees Fahrenheit and it will be males. Below 86 degrees Fahrenheit and it will be females; between those two will be a mix of the two sexes.

The mother will guard the nest from all predators for about 60 days. When the youngsters are ready to start hatching, they emit a high, sharp bark. Then the mother will help them by uncovering the eggs and aiding in breaking the shells.

Baby alligators are called hatchlings, and a group of them is called a pod. The babies are about 9 inches in length. They are very vulnerable to snakes, wading birds, raccoons, and even other alligators! That is why the mother will remain close for a year or more, in which the babies will grow a foot a year up to six years. From then on, females will grow much slower than the males.

Eating Habits

Alligators are nocturnal feeders and prefer fish, frogs, snakes, turtles, and birds, but will also eat carrion (dead carcasses).

An alligator will drag his prey underwater to drown it first. Alligators have a special valve in their throats called a glottis that prevents them from drowning! However, the alligator must come above water to swallow his prey, which he will do whole. If the prey is too large to do that, he will twist and flip and squirm until a piece comes loose enough to swallow.

Alligators will also attack small animals such as dogs and pigs. Alligators that become familiar with humans can be dangerous and will sometimes attack. That is why it is illegal in Florida to feed alligators in the wild. Sometimes alligators are blamed for the attacks by their more aggressive cousin, the crocodile.

Status

In 1967, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared alligators an endangered species. However, they have made such a strong comeback that they now allow "controlled" hunting. In the wild, alligators are expected to live from 35 to 50 years. Today, they are raised on "farms" for their meat and skins and tourist attractions.

Fab Facts

Even though an alligator's jaws are very strong, when closed, they can be held shut by a person's bare hands! An alligator's upper jaw is actually part of its skull.

Alligators can walk, run, and crawl. The so-called "high-walk" is when an alligator's limbs are directly underneath its body (instead of splayed to the side) so it can lift his whole body and most of the tail off the ground.

Classification:

Class: Reptilia

Order: Crocodilia

Family: Crocodylidae (includes alligators, crocodiles, caimans, gharials)

Species: Alligator mississippiensis

SeaWorldAdventurePark.info is a website filled with photos from SeaWorld, Orlando, Florida, plus information, reviews, and a poll.

Are men and women different in their tastes of how to spend free time? Are teenagers different? Here's some background information that could be an interesting science fair project to help you find out. If you are not interested in doing a project, you could do this experiment for the fun of it.

Let's begin with some preconceived notions of what we think men and boys like to do. Sporting events of all kinds; car racing, football, baseball, basketball, hockey and wrestling would be among the favorites. Men like to male bond doing things like hunting, fishing, camping, playing golf, playing cards and other forms of gambling.

Some stereotypical diversions for girls and women might include visiting art galleries, spending time with book clubs, shopping and window shopping, charitable work and child care.

These gender-related avocations may seem a bit medieval and chauvinistic. Or are they? We will find out with an experiment to learn the truth.

Gather a list of all of the friends and family that you think would enjoy participating in the experiment. If you are doing a science fair project, make sure you quantify all of your data to make your presentation. Get a good mix of men and women, boy and girls. The more the merrier.

Structure a questionnaire listing activities like those mentioned above and add as many different activities that you can think of. If you wish to focus on high school students, for example, you may wish to include items like school social activities, school trips, athletic events, dances, lectures, seminars, field trips, after-school activities, home work and so on.

If you are working with adults, you might include luncheon meetings, parent-teacher activities, going to the playground with your children, and most anything that you wish to include. You should create a good mix of so called male and female oriented diversions.

It would be helpful to have as many as twenty people on your list, making certain that you have a representative number of people of different genders and age groups. Prepare your questionnaire and ask them to rate what they like on a scale of one to five, with one being something they really like, and five being something they never do.

Gather the finished data, reduce the figures, and come up with your answers. What have you found? Where your preconceived notions borne out? Or where you surprised with the results?

Mort Barish is co-founder of Terimore Institute, Inc. providing science fair projects for children in grades K-12 to help them successfully compete in science fairs. He has been creating educational materials for children and related graphic communications for almost fifty years. He is the author of seven books and has won numerous awards for his graphic presentations.

If you've ever been to your local pet store then no doubt you've seen a snake or two for sale. Usually they are unhealthy, overly expensive, and not well cared for. Which would make most of us walk away without a second glance, but kids are different. They see a snake and they want the snake. I speak from experience having at one time been "that" kid. Since then I've learned a great deal about snakes in general, especially relating to keeping them as pets.

One common denominator of children and snakes is that they rarely do well together. At least not if you leave the snake in the care of the child. Snakes (and most other reptiles) are entirely unlike any other animal. Their care requirements are exacting, and there's very little margin of error when dealing with them. This isn't to say that children can't have snakes as pets. In fact I highly encourage it, but there are some realities you should consider.

1) You as the parent or guardian will likely become the primary caretaker of the snake. Which isn't at all bad, but let's face it. Kids are impulsive and the snake they just have to have or "I'll die!!!" probably will be yesterdays news before today is done. Not literally, but you get the idea. Just be aware that when most kids promise to always take care of it... well consider that just like when they promise to eat their vegetables, or do their homework. Their intentions are great but then the reality sets in.

2) Snakes are expensive. The initial purchase for something like a Ball Python will be relatively cheap (around $40-$100) but then you have everything else.

a) Tank - These can easily run over $150.00 but if you're willing to spend some time learning you can build your own from a plastic Tub for about $8.00

b) Essentials - These are the things you must have for the snake to prosper:

- Heating Pads: Under the tank heater will cost about $20-$35.00 depending on size and where you get it. There is also FlexWatt heat tape which is a little less expensive, but more labor intensive.

- Hides: Just a place for the snake to "hide" from everything. You can buy them at the pet store for a few dollars each or take an old butter tub, cut a hole in the side the snake can fit through and use that. Not a huge expense but the little things add up.

- Thermometer/Hygrometer combo: You want a digital one of these with probes. Those will run you around $12 to $15 for an Accu-rite from Wal-Mart. The cheap stick on the side of the tank types do NOT work. Remember I said before their husbandry requirements are exact? This is an example. To low heat can lead to respiratory infection, poor eating, and stress. To low humidty can lead to poor and incomplete sheds. So you will need to invest in a good thermometer/hygrometer setup.

- Water bowl: Needs to be large enough the snake won't tip it over. If you buy at the pet store it'll cost you more than it is worth. Around $15.00 (give or take)

- Substrate: A bag of cypress mulch will cost about $10 to $20. A better option is to use old newspapers for the substrate. I never pay for it because I get old newspapers from restaurants. Avoid glossy and colored prints as these can be toxic to the snake.

- Thermostat: Here we come back to the reality of how exacting conditions must be for snakes. The temperatures need to be maintained at very precise levels. That is where a thermostat comes in. To be clear these aren't the $20.00 wall mount units you get from Wal-Mart. These are specially made for reptiles and they allow you to control your under the tank heaters. Expect to pay upwards of $100.00 for one of these.

- Electricity: Obviously keeping a heating pad running 24/7 which you will have to do will increase your electric bill to some extent.

- Food: They need to eat. Expect to spend about $8 to $25 per month on food per snake. A lot will depend on how large the snake is as to what it should be eating. Don't forget to calculate travel into the food expense.

So now that snake that cost $40.00 is costing signficantly more. Before you even get out the door you're looking at another $200.00 in supplies alone. Not to mention the ongoing cost of upkeep on a daily basis. We didn't even consider what would happen if trip to the vet became necessary. Vets that specialize in reptiles have one thing in common with doctors who specialize in heart issues. They both charge significantly more than "regular" vets because of their specialization.

3) Kids are rough. You can't leave a child and a snake alone. Some people will tell you it is to protect the kid, but in 99.999999% of all cases the reason is to protect the snake from the kid.

4) Kids are quick. Snakes don't like quick. They feel threatened by it. They'll try to get away and barring that lash out at things they feel threatened by. Having experienced my share of snake bites over the years I can tell you that getting bit by a snake is something most adults will never forget. Imagine a kid getting bit because the snake felt like it had to defend itself.

All of this is not to discourage you from getting a snake for your kid. In fact I highly encourage you doing just that as they make wonderful pets. You as the parent/guardian just need to be aware that snakes are unlike any common pet most people have and they take dedication and responsibility that MOST children simply do not have.

You can learn more about snakes at my blog, http://www.pet-snakes.com

The Indian state of Kerala is an enchanting place of eye-soothing greenery rich with forests, mind-blowing sea shores, rolling hills, bird sanctuaries, wild life, tea gardens and last but not the least, the magical back waters. From its intriguing customs to its astonishing landscapes, educated public to the high-intensity civilizing life, tour and holidays in Kerala can be an exceptional experience in itself. From colorful butterflies to elephants, Kerala is a state over-flowing with natural wonders. Kerala, also known as the God's own country, has become one of the most popular tourist attractions for both foreigners as well as domestic travelers.

Climate: With 125-145 days of rains every year, Kerala has a maritime wet and tropical type of climate which is influenced by seasonal heavy rains of south-west summer monsoon. The climate is dry and tropical wet in the eastern region of the state. During summers, a large part of Kerala gets prone to storm surges, gale force winds, occasional droughts, cyclone related torrential downpours, rises in the level of the sea and storm activities due to global warming.

Flora & Fauna: Almost one fourth of the country's 10,000 species of plants are available in Kerala and the forest area covers 24% of the state. It has around 102 species of mammals, 476 of birds, 169 of reptiles, 202 of fresh-water fishes and 89 of amphibians.

Popular Attractions: These include beaches at Cherai, Kovalam and Varkala, hill stations of Nelliampathi, Munnar, Wayanad and Ponmudi and wildlife sanctuaries and national parks at Eravikulam and Periyar. The back water regions comprises of an extensive networking of inter-locking lakes, rivers and canals which centre on Kumarakom, Alleppey and Punnamada. Heritage sites including Mattancherry Palace and Padmanabhapuram Palace which are also worth-visiting. Traditional theatrical performances and shopping centres are attractions of Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. During summers, the Thrissur Pooram attracts a large number of foreign tourists who are largely attracted towards the celebrants and elephants of the festival. Other destinations that must be visited during a Kerala tour include Trivandrum, Kovalam, Cochin, Alappey, Thekkady, Silent Valley and Varkala, in addition to Amritapuri Ashram, Nilambur and Pathanmthitta.

Kerala has been situated on the tropical and lush Malabar Coast, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. The unique traditions and culture of the state, coupled with its diverse demographics, have led to a tourist growth rate of around 13.31%, making the tourism industry a major contributor of the state economy.

Amjad khan is an Expert SEO working in SEO Services India since last one year. For more information on India Tour and Kerala Tour please visit Grand India Tour