gator
Baby American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), Everglades National Park, Florida.

Crocodiles part 4: American Alligator (continued)

In early summer, female American alligators build their nests - piles of mud, grass and branches - on dikes, lakeshores, and riverbanks. Most, but not all, females are good mothers: they protect the nest, carry hatchlings to the water, and stay with them for months or even years.
gator gator
Riding on mommy's head, Corkscrew Wildlife Sanctuary, Florida.
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Baby American alligator, Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee
National Wildlife Refuge, Florida.
But some females neglect their children. Once the eggs are laid, they move off to dance, mate again, and lay a second clutch.

gator Abandoned baby, ENP, Florida.

Abandoned babies suffer high mortality rate - everybody from fire ants to large alligators feeds on them.

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Baby American alligator, Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee
National Wildlife Refuge, Florida.
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Baby alligators, Lake Kissimmee, State Park, Florida.
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It's not uncommon to see babies of different age in juvenile pods.
CWS, Florida.
The best chance of survival for abandoned babies is to join another female's pod. Most mothers would accept newcomers, even if they differ in size from their own offspring. gator
Males grow faster than females, and visibly outgrow them by the age of 3.
LKSP, Florida.
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Yearling alligators, Fakahatchee Strand National Preserve, Florida.
gator
Baby alligator, ENP, Florida.
If caught, babies emit distress calls. Even though adults would sometimes eat a baby, any gator would valiantly defend any baby that gives a distress call. gator
Baby alligator, ENP, Florida.
view
Baby alligator hiding in the forest during drought. ENP, Florida.
view
Great white egret with a baby alligator. ENP, Florida.
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Alligator migrating across dry prairies
during drought. This animal had to cross
8 km of dry land. ENP, Florida.

Babies are hunted by many carnivores, but large adults have no predators except humans.
gator Tumucua Indians hunting alligators. A sketch by Jacques le Moyne, c. 1580.
They also suffer from parasites, and sometimes die during droughts and hurricanes.

leech
Alligator leech (Placobdella multilineata),
a common parasite of alligators.
Holey Lake Wildlife Area, Florida.
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Juvenile alligator, Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Part 5: Chinese Alligator

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