Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure in Kansas announced the arrival of five baby American Alligators. They hatched on August 13 at
St. Augustine Alligator Farm and went on display in the Reptile Building, “These young alligators are incredibly popular”, says Peter Burvenich, Curator at Rolling Hills. “They are quite intriguing to watch – especially when you think about how big they’ll become”.  

The American Alligator is listed as “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Historically, hunting decimated their population; the American alligator was listed as an endangered species by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Subsequent conservation efforts have allowed their numbers to increase and the species was removed from the list in 1987.

Photo credit: Rolling Hills Zoo

As part of the zoo’s mission to provide fun and educational experiences surrounding the preservation of wildlife, the introduction of these popular reptiles makes an excellent addition. Once they are about a year old, they will go to
another institution that can accommodate adult alligators, and Rolling Hills
will get another group of hatchlings. All five hatchlings are viewable to the
public in the reptile building located at the northern end of the zoo.

Read more Alligator facts after the fold:

Adult
male American Alligators average 11 feet in length, females averaging 8.5 feet.
The largest reported size was a male killed in 1890, reportedly measuring
19 feet in length. Wild alligators range from long and slender to short
and robust, due to variations in growth rate, diet, and climate. Alligators
have broad snouts, especially those in captivity. When the jaws are closed, the
edge of the upper jaws covers the lower teeth which fit into depressions in the
upper jaw. Their teeth number from 74 to 84.

When
on land, the alligator moves either by sprawling or walking, the latter
involving the reptile lifting its belly off the ground. In the water,
alligators swim like fish; moving their pelvic regions and tails from side to
side. American alligators have the strongest laboratory-measured bite of any
living animal.