American alligators are fierce predators. But wild boars are no easy prey. What would happen if these two crossed paths? In this high-low title, readers will learn about the weapons and attack moves of these two dangerous animals. Special features highlight the weapons of these animals while profiles show their size, range, and habitat. Readers will not want to miss this exciting title!

American alligators are fierce predators. But wild boars are no easy prey. What would happen if these two crossed paths? In this high-low title, readers will learn about the weapons and attack moves of these two dangerous animals. Special features highlight the weapons of these animals while profiles show their size, range, and habitat. Readers will not want to miss this exciting title!

Discusses what American alligators are, why they are endangered, what their current status is, and what is being done to help them. Includes Internet links to Web sites related to American alligators.

A comparison of American alligators and saltwater crocodiles, their body type, hunting patterns and fighting style, and a decision on which would win if they fought each other.

Scientists believe American alligators have been around for nearly 150 million years, but they came close to going extinct. American Alligator explores the alligator's key role in its habitat, how hunting and habitat changes almost led to its extinction, and how efforts such as egg collection and controlled hunting help to preserve the species. Easy-to-read text, vivid images, and helpful back matter give readers a clear look at this subject. Features include a table of contents, infographics, a glossary, additional resources, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Core Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Having survived since the Mesozoic era, alligators teetered on the brink of extinction in the 1960s. Their recovery in the 1970s was largely due to legislative intervention, and today populations are closely monitored throughout their range. American Alligator is the most up-to-date and comprehensive treatment of this resilient relic, a creature with a brain weighing less than half an ounce that has successfully adapted to a changing Earth for more than 200 million years. Kelby Ouchley chronicles the evolution of A. mississippiensis from "shieldcroc"--the last common ancestor of modern-day alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and gavials--to its current role as keystone of the ecological health of America's southern swamps and marshes. In Florida, the apex predator uses its snout and feet to clear muck from holes in the limestone bedrock. During the dry season, these small ponds or "alligator holes" provide refuge, food, and water for a variety of wildlife. In Louisiana, millions of dollars are spent on the bounty of the non-native nutria that overgraze marsh vegetation, but alligators prey on these coastal rodents free of charge. The loss of the American alligator would be a blow to biodiversity and an ecosystem disruption affecting all levels of the food chain. While the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed it from the endangered species list in 1987 and today regulates the legal trade of the animal and its products, Ouchley cautions us not to forget the lessons learned: human activities, from urban development to energy production, can still threaten the future of the gator and its southern wetland habitat.

Was it too late to save the American alligator? For millions of years, this amazing creature had lived peacefully in North America. Yet by the 1960s, years of hunting, pollution, and land encroachment had pushed the animal to the brink of extinction. Would people find a way to help the American alligator survive? In American Alligators: Freshwater Survivors, children relive the inspiring and heroic efforts of people who stepped in to save this remarkable creature when all seemed lost. Through this true tale of wildlife survival, children discover the bold and creative ideas that Americans and their government have used to protect and care for the country’s endangered wildlife. Full-color photographs and a habitat map enrich this heartfelt story of conservationism and courage.

It is very hard to be friends with wild boars because they are dirty and smelly, bad-tempered, and rude.

Examination of scalation of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) from populations in the eastern and western parts of the species range revealed several scale characteristics that varied between populations and significant variation in the number of transverse ventral rows, number of anterior nuchal scales, number of scales in the anterior dorsal scale row, number of scales in the posterior transverse scale rows, and occurrence of caudal irregularity. Ventral ossification occurs in alligators longer than 165 cm from both the eastern and western parts of the species range. Because of a lack of material from the central part of the alligator's range (Alabama and Mississippi), the nature of this variation cannot be determined.

Alligators have survived since dinosaurs ruled the earth. During the twentieth century, however, they were hunted extensively for their meat and skins and almost disappeared. Once they were protected in the 1970s alligators recovered rapidly. Today, they once again number more than a million across the Southeastern United States.