The Crocodilian! 



long; they weighed 14 pounds. At the time of this measurement 

 they were but two and a half years old, yet had increased thirty- 

 seven inches in length. 



The last measurements of this series of specimens were made 

 on November iyth, 1905, and demonstrate a surprising rate 

 of growth. The specimens showed an average length of 5 feet, 

 6 inches, and a weight of 50 pounds. 



In a wild state, growth is undoubtedly more rapid than 

 here noted. The female alligators construct their nests near 

 shallows, teeming with fish. The temperature of these Southern 

 swamps is very high and the atmosphere reeks with moisture. 

 In such places, where small fish are so abundant that they may 

 be scooped out of the water with one's hand, in the high tem- 

 perature and sunlight, where everything is conducive to the 

 rapid development of the young saurian, it is probable that it 

 reaches maturity within four or five years. 



The same, steady rate of growth has been observed with 

 large individuals. A specimen in the reptile house measuring 

 exactly seven feet in 1900, was measured in the fall of 1905; 

 its total length was then 10 feet, 1 1 inches. 



All of the specimens figuring in these measurements were 

 kept in large tanks, heated to a temperature of about 90 F. 

 This almost tepid water is a correct imitation of the native bayous. 

 If alligators are kept in cold water, especially during the Northern 

 winter months, they feed but poorly or not at all, and growth 

 ceases altogether. 



Distribution. Rivers and swamps of the low, coastal region, 

 from North Carolina, throughout Florida, and westward to the 

 Rio Grande, in Texas. 



Three species of the genus Alligator are known. One 

 species inhabits China; the habitat of the other is unknown. 



Habits. The alligator is becoming rare in most portions 

 of the South and extermination is not far distant. Many cir- 

 cumstances handicap the reptile in its battle for existence against 

 mankind. Large and readily discernible, the sight of an alli- 

 gator from a river steamer is usually the signal for a fusillade 

 of lead, and the old theory that the reptile's plated skin is proof 

 against a bullet, no longer holds good. A ball from a modern 

 rifle or a good revolver, will easily penetrate the tough hide of 

 an alligator and produce a mortal wound. But it is not alone 



86 



