Nervous System

• Consists of the bain and the spinal nerve chord
• Small cerebral hemispheres
• 8-9 gram brain is much smaller than thos4e of a mammal

Skeletal/ Muscular System

• The alligator has a very complex muscular system, but the two main contributers are in the jaw and the tail
• The jaw muscles allow it the open and close in a fast agressive way to trap any size prey
• The tail muscles allow them to swim up to 25mph
• Alligators have two rows of teeth for an effedtive bite
• There are bone plates inside the skin on their back (scutes) that make the skin hard to penetrate
• Alligators also have webed feet halp them swim
• Although alligators are fast and dangerous in water they are very slow on land, but still very dangerous

Digestive System

• The digestive system of the alligator is short and simple
• In their mouth they have many rows of teeth, but they are not used for chewing, they're used for trapping and seizing prey
• Their stomach consists of two parts, the gizzard and the digestive section
• the gizzard has gastroliths to help digest food in the stomach and also works as a buoyancy controller
• The food then passes through the intestine to the cloaca
• Since alligators don't have a bladder their urine and wast exist through the cloaca which is an opening to the outside of their body

Circulatory System

• Closed Circulatory system
• First of ll organ systems to become functional during development
• Transports respiratory gasses, nutrient, and metabolic wate
• Maitains homeostasis in connection whit the kidneys

Interestin Facts

• The average alligator can live up to 35 years in the wild and 50 yeas in captivity
• They have no vocal chords
• They can survive for 2-3 years with out eating
• The average alligator brain weighs 8-9 grams
• The eyes of a large alligator will glow red and those of a smaller one will glow green when a light is shined on them.
• According to the Everglades National Park website, the largest alligator ever recorded in Florida was 17 feet 5 inches long.
• The largest alligator ever recorded measured 19 feet 2 inches and was found on Marsh Island, Louisiana.
• The American Alligator is one of the very few animal to have been saved from the endangered specis list.
• Scientists believe alligators are more than 150 million years old
• The alligator’s name comes from  the Spanish term, “el lagarto”, which means, "the lizard".

Skin

• The alligator consists of oblong horny scales arranged in rows, parallel to the body
• Bone plates inside skin called scoutes make skin hard to penetrate
• Vibration sensors help detect the slightest vibrations to escape danger or react to prey