[Music]
okay alligators certainly are one of my
favorite reptiles for a number of
reasons first of all let's distinguish
alligators from crocodiles they're all
in the crocodilian family alligators are
a subset of that azog Ariel's Caymans
and true crocodiles like the Nile
crocodile so that's one differentiator
alligators have a rounded snout on them
where crocs are more pointed and really
alligators I always say I was kind of a
smile to their face their teeth don't
normally protrude like this one does
he's a young alligator alligators rotate
their teeth like sharks so we get two in
our lifetime alligators they just keep
coming
so they're constantly falling out at
this age and a new tooth is coming
behind usually crocodiles teeth are
sticking out up and down and they got
kind of a menacing scowl to them where
Gators kind of smile before they before
they eat you right alligators are an
American treasure there's only two
species of alligators on the planet our
American alligator you know familiar
with in Florida Gator country and then
there's a smaller species in China the
Chinese alligator which unfortunately
for it is on the verge of extinction due
to predation and habitat loss people in
in that area of the world eat alligators
so there's very very few of those left
the rest of the world has crocodiles
Caymans and Gary ELLs but they're one of
my favorite creatures because they're
they're nature's perfect predator these
animals were here 225 million years ago
that's a big number
you know dinosaurs disappeared 65
million years ago and the first one was
seen about 175 million years ago so what
is it about the alligator and the
crocodile that kept it alive for so long
and really if you look at fossil records
they're pretty much the same he's got a
lot bigger back then well what makes
them perfect predators is everything
about their body shape and everything
about their face they are solid muscle
alligators got a huge tail that allows
that's full of muscle that allows them
to move very quickly and stealthily
through the water which is how they
attack their prey they sneak up on it
right if you look at the top of his head
his eyes protrude
his nostrils are at the top so
oftentimes when he sneaks up on
something at the water's edge he will
you will just see the top of his head
you'll see his eyes and his nose and
mammals unfortunately for 225 million
years haven't figured out what's in the
water and what's about to jump out and
get them they're often easy prey for an
alligator who is the ultimate in stealth
they have quick reflexes they push off
with their arms and legs in their tail
they bolt out of the water with Mal
thegame you can see the teeth sticking
out but you can feel really is the jaw
strength this animal has 2,000 pounds
per square inch of jaw strength it can
crush bone a large alligator once it
latches on to its prey it has no chance
of escaping small items they eat quickly
larger ones they pull under the water
and drown and they eat it over the
course of the next few days weeks or
months depending on what it is in order
for them to see properly in the water
alligators have developed a double
eyelid system they have an eyelid that
closes their eyes very efficiently to
keep dirt out of it and when they sleep
but they also have a clear eyelid that's
underneath that one that goes from the
back to the front that allows them to go
under the water and see clearly much
like you wear goggles in the chlorinated
pool so they'll have that eyelid close
their nostrils are like the VAT they
hatches on a submarine they close those
down they can go a good 45 minutes under
the water and then there's the business
end right
they seek up on their prey they come out
of the water with their mouths wide open
look at the sharp teeth there BAM they
come down on top of the prey drag it
back into the water
and they continue life again just like
they've been doing for 225 million years
the alligator is an American treasure
that almost was hunted to extinction 40
years ago because of this little piece
of skin right here it's really soft and
that made a wonderful pocketbook belt
cowboy boot you name it and we almost
hunted every single one after all those
millions of years of being successful
luckily people stopped it and stopped it
but in recent years it started up again
with people in that area of the
southeast saying they need to hunt
alligator
for commerce there's even television
shows that are popping up showing how
they slaughter these alligators
ritualistically for profit i don't
really agree with that i understand
people have to make a living but i don't
want to see it in film so we really have
to respect animals like this understand
their role in nature understand they
were here way before we were and they'll
probably be here when we're gone the
American alligator
certainly a US Treasury