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Brandon's Project for the 2002 WOW (Waves Of Wonder) Science Fair |
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The Waves Of Wonder Science Fair was done in partnership with Brandon's school and the Orlando Science Center. Part of the role of the Science Center was to give the children who participated a presentation on the human brain, as well as to look over the projects that were on display. Every child who participated recieved an award for their effort from the school. While some children were chosen by the Science Center for a special award. Brandon was one of these children. So he has been invited by the Science Center to come in one Saturday and be a junior guest presenter and discuss his project with Science Center visitors. What can I say but, that we are all proud of him. |
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Back to "The Junior Florida Explorer's Page" home page. |
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Florida Alligators and Crocodiles
Have you met them yet? |
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Florida is a state with many lakes, rivers, and swamps, and in those places Florida has dinosaurs. Well they're not really dinosaurs, but they are related. They are alligators and crocodiles, and they are the dinosaurs of today. |
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Just like dinosaurs, alligators and crocodiles are reptiles,
just like snakes, lizards, and turtles. And just like some of the dinosaurs, alligators and crocodiles are at the top of the food chain where they live. And almost every lake, river, and swamp in Florida has alligators, and almost every saltwater marsh has crocodiles in it. |
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Alligators and crocodiles are egg layers, that means that they make nests and lay eggs. They can lay as many as 30 eggs in each nest. Then the mommy protects the nest from other animals until the babies hatch.
When the eggs hatch the babies are about 8 to 9 inches long, and they are different colors then when they are grown up. Alligator babies have yellow and greenish stripes around their bodies. But when they grow up they will become all dark brown or black. When crocodiles hatch they are grey with dark stripes around their bodies. And when crocodiles grow up they get dark grey. Both alligators and crocodiles can grow over 14 feet long. But that is rare. |
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Do you know how to tell which is an Alligator, and which is a Crocodile? Even as babies or grown ups, it can be easy to tell them apart. Alligators have a round snout and most of their teeth are hidden when thier mouth is closed. But crocodiles have a longer thin snout, and most of their teeth can be seen when their mouth is closed. Also the fourth tooth from the front of a crocodile's mouth sits up along the side of its snout. |
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Alligators and crocodiles are great hunters. They like to sneak up on animals that are drinking or eating by the edge of the water, or are swimming by. But they get tired really easy so they don't like to attack anything that will take a lot of energy. They are really good at hidding and waiting for something to come to them. Some times they get help from birds. Some birds make their nests in trees that hang over the water. The birds do this because animals have to swim out to the tree to eat their eggs, then they get eaten by the alligators that hang around under the trees. But every now and then a baby bird gets eaten too.
But, just because alligators and crocodiles are very dangerous hunters, doesn't mean that you should be scared of them. But you should be careful. Most of the time they will move away from people and leave them alone. But if people start to feed them, then they will think thatwhen ever they see people that means they will get food. And that is when they become dangerous and might attack a person. So if you see an alligator or crocodile, don't ever feed it! Or the next person it sees might get eaten. |
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If you want to learn more about alligators and crocodiles, there are lots of ways to do that. You could go to your library or the bookstore, there are lots of books on them. Or you could go on the internet and check out the Animal Planet or some zoo webites. You can even see them up close at places like Gatorlandin Orlando, Florida. But remember, how ever you want to learn aboutthem, be careful and don't get too close. |
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I would like to thank Gail Schneider, the Curator at Gatorland for letting me talk to her and her staff about Florida alligators and crocodiles. I had fun there that day and would really recomend people go there to learn about the cool animals and reptiles in Florida's lakes and swamps. Check out Gatorland at their website Gatorland.com. |
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