Species distinctions: American Alligator:
Weight: 204.0 to 227.0 kg ( 450.0 to 500.0 lbs)
Body length: 4.0 to 6.0 m ( 13.0 to 20.0 ft)
Sexual maturity: over 6 years
Incubation period: approximately 2 to 3 months (anytime from 60 to 90 days)
Number of eggs: 20 to 70
Life-span: 50 years (natural death of old age)
Diet: insects, shrimp, tadpoles, frogs, fish, small mammals
Distinctive qualities: half of its body length is its tail; was massacred for its skin but is protected under strict laws of conservation; related to caymans and crocodiles; broad snout; all teeth is upper jaw overlap with those in lower jaw; spends most time in water; will stay very still, then make surprise attack; sensitive area around mouth warns of movement in water; secretes tears of air bubbles to protect eyes; will lie at bottom of water in winter, buried in mud, without needing air for several weeks

Habits, physical and social structures:

For the majority of its life, the amphibious alligator spends its time in and around swamps and rivers, where it may even dig a hole in the mud in areas where the water fluctuates and fills the hole, as to guarantee itself and other organisms a water resource. The holes, also known as hollows, may extend 19.8 m (65.0 ft) below the ground, where temperature is stabilized and provides shelter for the alligator from extreme cold and heat. Although the alligator spends most of its time in the water and may appear to be asleep, precaution must be warranted as the alligator will often lie still but still observes the world around it attentively. If there should be movement in the water surrounding it, the alligator will attack its prey swiftly without warning. Young alligators have a diet which consists of small organisms such as insects, shrimp, tadpoles, and frogs, where they begin to eat small fish and snakes as they mature. When full grown adults, the alligator feeds mainly on fish, however it will eat anything it may catch, including raccoons, muskrats, birds, turtles, and snakes, among others, most of which are caught in the water in order to be drowned before being swallowed.

Over the years, the alligator has been attempting to replenish its numbers after being hunted for their skin, shearing close to extinction. However, conservation of the alligator has been pursued since the 1950s, where hunting was banned, and since then, the numbers have risen to the point where they may be subjected to organized hunting.

Physics Application(s):

Sound and infrasound: During the mating season, alligator bulls of Florida, United States of American are known to employ the use of infrasound to establish status amongst the other bulls. The infrasound waves are emitted, which encourages the bulls to challenge one another to duels of strength and status to win over the female. The bulls convulse vertically in the water, causing the water to vibrate vertically along their body to the rhythm of the emitted infrasound waves. However, homo sapiens provide three artificial competitors: cars, boat propellers, and the NASA space shuttle, all of which transmit infrasound. Every bull tries to compete against NASA, but the rocket always wins

.