The American Alligator opus 795
| 20 March 2026 2103 Hours | | Evolution, Biology, Dinosaur, Herpetology, Ornithology, Science, Zoology |
I have written about crocodiles and their interesting history.
I decided to look at our own American Alligator
(Alligator mississippiensis).
It is a 'living fossil,' remaining unchanged for 8 million years!
Its lineage dates back to over 200 million years.
The modern species has outlasted all climate shifts
And even the dinosaur extinction.
Alligators are in the clade Archosauria splitting into
Dinosaurs and birds, and the other lineage leads to crocodilians.
Alligators and Caimans diverged from the crocodile and gharial line,
Surviving the 66-million-year-old extinction of the dinosaurs,
Because they were cold-blooded, going for long periods without food.
There are only two living relatives which split into separate lineages--
Our American Alligator and the Chinese Alligator.
The endangered latter species may have inspired the Chinese dragon.
The name 'alligator' derives from the Spanish 'el lagarto,' 'the lizard'.
Saur, also meaning lizard, adds to the word 'dinosaur,' 'terrible lizard'.
Humans have certainly concentrated their interest on our lizard cousins!