The Fur Animals of Louisiana 181 



GROWTH OF THE ALLIGATOR 



At time of hatching- 8 inches. Weight 1% ounces. 



At 1 year 1 foot 6 inches. Weight d l A ounces. 



At 2 years 2 feet 2 inches. Weight 3 pounds. 



At 3 years 3 feet 1 inch. Weight 15 pounds. 



At 4 years 4 feet 



At 5 years 4 feet 10 inches. 



At 6 years 5 feet 4 inches. Weight 50 pounds. 



At 7 years 6 feet 2 inches- (Maturity ) 



At 8 years 6 feet 11 inches- 



At 9 years 8 feet 2 inches. 



At 10 years 9 feet 3 inches- 



At 11 years 10 feet 11 inches. 



At 12 years 11 feet 3 inches. 



At 13 years 11 feet 5 inches. 



At 14 years 12 feet. Estimated weight, 650 pounds. 



Dr. William T. Hornaday, when director of the New 

 York Zoological Park, recorded the growth of a large alli- 

 gator captured in the wilds and sent to the Bronx zoo for 

 exhibition purposes. 22 When taken the 'gator measured ex- 

 actly 6 feet 11 inches. In one year it grew 1 foot 3 inches, 

 or to 8 feet 2 inches ; during the second year in captivity it 

 grew 1 foot IV2 inches, or to 9 feet 3V2 inches; during its 

 third year in captivity it grew 1 foot 7 inches, or to 10 feet 

 11 inches. Dr. Hornaday said that he believed that his cap- 

 tive specimens grew as rapidly under restraint as they did 

 in the wild state and that he had reached the conclusion that, 

 in ordinary circumstances, a wild alligator is about 10 years 

 in reaching a length of 12 feet. He believes that the aver- 

 age rate of growth up to 12 feet is 1.4 inches per month. 

 After this length has been attained the rate is much slower, 

 being approximately 2 inches a year. His largest captive 

 'gator measured exactly 12 feet in 1899, and in 1903, four 

 years later, measured 12 feet 5 inches. 



It has been pointed out by the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries 

 that "there are several varieties of alligator hides on the 

 market, the most important being the Floridian, Louisi- 

 anian and Mexican ; each differs from the others in certain 

 well-defined characteristics, and owing to these differences 

 each variety has its special uses. 



"Hornaday, W. T., American Natural History, p. 320. 



