Are Alligators in Outer Banks Really Making Waves? - Away State Journal
U.S. Highway 64 was closed in both directions in Tyrell County, slowing the Friday afternoon trip to the Outer Banks. The suggested detour added about 80 miles to the trip. Posted 5:17 p.m. Jul 14, ...
U.S. 64 at Alligator River reopens after drivers forced to detour 80 miles to reach Outer Banks
An alligator, or colloquially gator, is a large reptile in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae in the order Crocodilia. The two extant species are the American alligator (A. mississippiensis) and the Chinese alligator (A. sinensis). Additionally, several extinct species of alligator are known from fossil remains. Alligators first appeared during the late Eocene epoch about 37 ...
Alligator, either of two crocodilians classified in the genus Alligator and related to the tropical American caimans. Alligators can be differentiated from true crocodiles by the form of their jaw and teeth. Alligators possess a broad U-shaped snout and have an ‘overbite’; that is, all the teeth of the lower jaw fit within the teeth of the upper jaw.
Conservation American alligators were once threatened by extinction, but after being placed on the endangered species list in 1967, their population increased. This species is now classified as least concern. The main threat to these reptiles today is habitat loss caused by wetland drainage and development. The American alligator is an important keystone species of the Southeast. Alligators ...
American alligators can be distinguished from Crocodylus acutus, the American crocodile, and Caiman crocodilus, common caiman, by the presence of a broad, rounded snout, without conspicuous teeth protruding while the mouth is closed (especially the lower 4th tooth) (Behler and King, 1979; Conant and Collins, 1998; Powell et al., 1998).
