American Alligator Informative Speech

The Burmese Pythons are negatively affecting the Everglades by disrupting the food chain. Andrew Ng, author of, “Florida’s Python Hunt”, quoted this from the article, “With no natural predators, these eating machines appear to be wiping out huge numbers of opossums, raccoons, and bobcats, as well as many bird species.” The pythons have no natural predators, so animals that

Reptiles are crucial in the food chain. Not only are their predators but are also prays to others making them very important to the ecosystems. They control pest and acts as pollinators.

Alligators are large, lizard like, scaly creatures that closely resemble crocodiles. These beasts are native to only the United States and China, where it is now nearly extinct. Male Gators can grow up to 4 and a half meters long, the females up to 3 and half. However, Chinese alligators are much smaller, growing to be about half the size of a female American one. Gators vary in color, from yellow to green to nearly black in old age. An alligators tail is extremely muscular, used mostly in the water to propel the gator forward like a rocket.

With an impressive 23 feet in length, and weighing 200 pounds, the Burmese python is taking up the Everglades space. It’s no wonder animals around here go missing. What exactly is the reason they’re in the Everglades? Why are they everywhere? Well they have no natural predators, there’s way too many of them, and they are dramatically changing the number of animals.

In the 1980s the Burmese python was transported the United States as an exotic pet from Southeast Asia, but soon after owners began releasing the natural predator into Florida’s Everglades. The population of the python in the Everglades was estimated to be 5,000 – 180,000 in 2009 by South Florida Water Management

According to the Smithsonian Zoological Park one of the features that makes American Alligators unique is “The large fourth tooth in the lower jaw of an alligator which fits into a socket in the upper jaw and is not visible when the mouth is closed.” As the teeth of the American Alligator wear down they get replaced which can lead to replacing their teeth over 2,000 times in their lives. The American Alligator has nostrils that stick up further than the rest of the snout, this is so they can breathe while the rest of their body is under water. The eyes of the American Alligator consist of upper and lower eyelids that protect them. They have a third eyelid, which protects its eyes when they swim underwater. Alligator eyes have also developed to see in the dark by reflecting light back into its own eyes.

The alligator is one of the largest living reptiles today. In North America, they inhabit freshwater swamps or wetlands in the south, from Texas to North Carolina. Distinguishing features include the fourth mandibular tooth, the long, broad snout, and the thick, scaly skin. Like some other reptiles, alligators have temperature-dependent sex determination, which is a non-genetic way of determining the sex ratio of offspring produced. Unlike other reptiles, alligators exhibit parental care; they nest-guard, and even offer evidence of maternal care for juveniles after hatching. Through the reviewing of multiple experiments conducted on Alligator mississippiensis, evidence is provided for the temperature-dependent mode of sexing and maternal

One misty morning in 2003, deep under the cover of the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, a group of tourists set out for a day of exploration in the Everglades. They hoped to see some of the diverse and unique species that the Everglades are famous for, and maybe snap a few cool pictures to show their friends. They could never have anticipated what they would actually discover. A short way into their trek, the party was drawn to a noisy struggle nearby. They followed their ears to a duel between an alligator and a huge Burmese Python. The alligator clamped his jaws around the snake. The snake wrapped its body around the alligator. The tourists

There are many different types of snakes in the state of Florida from the average garden snake to the very venomous Eastern Diamondback Rattle but so far the only one that has both citizens and politicians truly worried about are the Burmese Pythons that are located in the Everglades, a National Park located in southern Florida. Burmese Pythons have a beautiful patterned skin, a rapid growth rate, which is known as the largest snake of choice to be owned by human. During, captivate Burmese python are poorly taking care of; some turn on their owners and end up killing them. Due to, them being poorly taking care pythons are release into the wild or in a nearby wooded area to defended for themselves and find food.

Do you like Burmese pythons? The presence of the Burmese pythons changing the Florida everglades because it disrupts the food chain. In the everglades there is a python hunt. That some fact about Burmese pythons.

As it thrashes its body from side to side, it creates a small hole filled with water. Plant matter and mud piled up around the edges of the hole create dry ground on which other plants eventually grow. After many years, grass, trees, and other plants surround these "gator holes" like fences. Gator holes are important to other species as well. As the water becomes scarce during the dry season, many animals search for food and remaining pockets of water. The gator holes attract crayfish, frogs, turtles, fish, and other aquatic species, all seeking refuge in the deeper waters of the gator holes. Muskrats, otters, deer, and raccoons, as well as a wide variety of beautiful birds, such as ibises, egrets, and herons, visit these sanctuaries to feed on the small animals that can be found there. Because alligators and the watery hollows they make play such an important role in the Everglades ecosystem, they are considered to be a keystone species since many other species depend upon them for their survival. This has earned them the nickname "keepers of the glades."

According to Florida’s Python Hunt, "With no natural predators, these eating machines appear to be wiping out huge numbers of opossums, raccoons, and bobcat, as well as many bird species." This shows that the pythons are ruining the animals in the everglades because if these pythons wipe too many animals in the everglades then the pythons will overpopulate and go somewhere else to get food and animals to eat. Then this could result in people dying because the snake is hungry, the snake will attack you.

The Everglades is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. The Everglades is a rough terrain landscape which is home for many rare and endangered species like the manatee, american crocodile, and the elusive florida panther. Those animals and possibly part of Florida's human population. Because work crews began draining the Everglades water towards farms and cities the Everglades vast stock of water is slowly decreasing. This is bad because The Everglades water source is the greatest source of drinking water to

Some popular national in Florida include the Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Park and Dry Tortugas National Park. All three parks offer a myriad of outdoor activities and expose visitors to an abundance of wildlife. The everglades National park west of Miami offers visitors activities such as hiking, canoeing, biking, boat tours and tram tours. The park is a World Heritage Site, a International Biosphere Reserve and a Wetland of National Importance. Additionally, the park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the country. The habitat is a home for a number of rare or endangered animals, such as the Florida panther, manatees and the American alligator.

To top this, there are no natural predators to stop these monsters of the Everglades. It states, “The Burmese pythons are unique in that they’re an apex predator species,” said Phil Andreozzi of the National Invasive Species Council, meaning they are at the top of the heap, with no natural predators of their own.” By the minute the pythons are eating natural wildlife. Due to the animals being eaten, region distress, etc. It also says, “Even if the snakes stay put, the ecological destruction they cause will have repercussions beyond Florida. As mammals run out, birds could become a bigger part of the snakes’ diets - a big concern to researchers for a variety of