American alligators are the top predators of their habitats They can weigh 500 pounds 227 kg and reach up to 15 feet 4 6 m in length They are the largest reptiles in North America An alligator lies in wait for its meal Only its eyes and snout provide any hint it is there The alligator’s body remains submerged in the calm swamp water Up to 80 razor-sharp teeth are ready to bite and rip its food Eventually the alligator will be rewarded when a thirsty boar trots to the riverbank for a drink An alligator captures its prey with a quick lunge from the swamp Its strong jaws hold the frantic creature The force of an alligator bite is powerful It has been measured at around 3,700 pounds 1,678 kg This is enough power to lift a small truck Finally the gator pulls its prey down in the water until it drowns An alligator may roll its victim in the water This confuses or drowns it It might shake the victim and shatter its spine Alligators are found mainly in Florida and Louisiana Alligators are carnivores They eat fish snails and frogs They also eat birds and mammals Alligators mate in early May The female builds a nest of plants In late June or early July she lays 35 to 50 eggs Near the end An alligator s teeth fall out regularly and are replaced by new ones AMERICAN ALLIGATOR HUNTS ITS NEXT MEAL 1 4
of August the young alligators make high-pitched noises The mother uncovers the eggs for hatching Hatchlings are 6 to 8 inches 15 to 20 cm long If the alligator nest at hatching is 82 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit 28 to 30 C the hatchlings will be female If the nest is 90 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit 32 to 34 C the hatchlings will be male If the nest is 86 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit 28 to 32 C both male and female hatchlings will be born Alligators can reproduce when they are 10 to 12 years old SAVING ALLIGATORS American alligators were once endangered and at risk of extinction Now they are thriving State and federal governments protect them Their habitats are preserved And demand for products made from alligators is decreasing 15 Number of deaths reported in the United States from 1948 to 2004 as a result of encounters with alligators Alligators injured 376 people in the United States between 1948 and 2004 Alligator encounters with humans are increasing Dogs and cats are sometimes the victims of alligator attacks American alligators can live for 35 to 50 years 5
The double-wattle cassowary looks like a prehistoric creature This bird cannot fly but it can jump up to 5 feet 1 5 m high It can also run up to 30 miles per hour 48 km h A cassowary’s kick is powerful enough to knock a man down Cassowaries are native to New Guinea and Australia They are the world’s second-heaviest bird at 128 pounds 58 kg Only the ostrich is heavier Cassowaries prefer to eat fruit from trees or from the ground But they will also eat vertebrates and invertebrates There are three species of cassowary All three have a casque or helmet on top of their heads The casque feels spongy inside A cassowary has 4 7-inch 12-cm long dagger-like claws on each foot CASSOWARIES KICK AWAY THREATS 2 6
but is covered with a thin layer of stronger material No one knows for sure but some believe cassowaries use their casques to protect their heads as they push through thick rainforest plants Cassowaries mate between June and October The male makes the nest The female lays up to eight green eggs in it The male incubates the eggs for 50 days He raises the chicks for the next nine months 7 2 Average length in feet 2 2 m of the cassowary’s wingspan Cassowaries have only five to six flight feathers on each side Historically they had no natural predators They adapted to life without flight The last person to be killed by a cassowary was in 1926 Many injuries have happened since 7 The casque starts to grow when a cassowary is one to two years old
