How long do alligators live

How Long Do Alligators Live? Average Life Expectancy at All Life Stages


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How Long Do Alligators Live?

Answer at a Glance: If an alligator survives into adulthood, most estimates average the alligator lifespan to be 20-30 years in the wild and up to 50 years or more in captivity.

Dig Deeper

Awareness of the mortality rate of alligators at different stages of development is crucial to understanding their average lifespan. Most alligators, unfortunately, do not survive into adulthood. Let’s take a closer look at the lifespan of alligators at each stage of life.


Alligator Mortality Rate Overview

These interesting statistics provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission clearly illustrate how few alligators actually mature to adulthood and survive to die of old age.  The Commission estimates that a clutch size of 35 will produce 15 hatchlings.  Sixty percent will not survive the year.  Of the remaining 6, only four will reach maturity. [1]

Alligator Egg Mortality Statistics

Crocodile babies emerging from eggs
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After mating, the female alligator takes on the crucial role of protecting her eggs. She builds a nest and lays her eggs, which are collectively referred to as a clutch. The number of eggs can range from a few to over 50, depending on the health, age, and size of the alligator, with an average of 30-35 eggs. [1]

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. An average of one-third of alligator nests will not make it through the incubation period. [2]

Several factors contribute to the loss of alligator eggs and the destruction of nests.

Once the female alligator has built her nest and laid her eggs, the incubation period begins, lasting approximately 65 days. During this vulnerable time, the nest is at risk of predation from various animals, with raccoons being the primary threat. [3]

It is challenging to calculate the number of nests destroyed nationwide accurately. But as a point of reference, a small four-year study in the 1970s at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge found that predation accounted for 96% of the nest losses. [4]

Another threat to the alligator nest is flooding. The female alligator typically builds a nest near a water source at the beginning of the rainy season in June, making it vulnerable to flooding. [5]

Finally, to a lesser degree, some eggs are lost simply by the mother accidentally crushing them. [6]

Hatchlings and Juveniles Mortality Statistics

baby nile crocodile emerging from its shell.
“© jonober/123RF.COM”

Of the surviving nests, the hatching rate in the wild is less than 70%, resulting in approximately 24 hatchlings per nest. [7]

Unfortunately, their survival rate is less than 50%, primarily due to predation, especially from larger alligators. Only about 10 will survive the first year, and this number drops to a mere five that will mature into adults. [8]

Average Lifespan of the Adult Alligator

American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
“© marquardt21/123RF.COM”

The mortality rates up to adulthood give a clear picture of the percentage of alligators that are included in the alligator lifespan statistic.  There are two sets of statistics for the mortality rate—those in the wild and those in captivity. 

It is challenging to reasonably measure the lifespan of alligators in the wild because wild animals rarely live to reach their maximum possible age and cannot be recorded as accurately as those raised under captive conditions.  Additionally, this area has not been studied extensively, and even the most authoritative sources provide widely varying estimates. [9]

Of the remaining alligators that have reached a ripe old age, most estimates average the alligator lifespan to be 20-30 years in the wild and up to 50 years or more in captivity. [10]

Oldest Alligator on Record

The Guinness Book of World Records lists Mujo, an alligator living at the Belgrade Zoo in Serbia, as the oldest alligator on record. As of May 2018, the American Alligator was at least 80 years and 252 days old and was still living. [11]

Previously, the oldest alligator was Cabulitis, an alligator from the Riga Zoo in Latvia, which lived to be 75 years old. [12]


References


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