To breed American alligators -- like the one above -- is illegal in New York.

 



am Lee has worked as the senior keeper at the Bronx Zoo for four year, he takes care of the animals in the reptile department, including alligators and crocodiles. And yes, he too, has heard of the legend many times.

Lee explains that alligators are a subfamily of Crocodilians —the scientific name for Crocodiles — and only two species are alive today: the Chinese and American alligators. The legend of alligators in New York sewers involves the American type, which can grow as big as 12 feet and weight 500 pounds. But the truth of the matter is that breeding alligators, caimans (another species of alligators) or crocodiles in New York is considered illegal, so they can be found only at the zoo--not in the city’s sewers system.

Lee handles a snake at the zoo.
At the Bronx Zoo, Lee deals daily with different reptiles, including alligators, caimans and crocodiles. He has always been fond of reptiles. As a child, his mother wouldn’t let him breed "any animal that didn’t have four feet," he recalls. "I would buy snakes at the pet shops and hide them in my room, so I was forced to return many of them when my mother would find out," he says.

Lee says that alligators are on the endangered species list. A federal license is required to breed them. Even then, for research purposes only.

Lee says that alligators, caimans and crocodiles behave differently when in captivity. They can grow faster because people tend to feed them all the time, which is not healthy for them. Also, they are ecothermic animals, meaning they depend on the weather to metabolize their food. "They will stop eating when it gets colder," explains Lee. Thus, their hibernation period is crucial for survival.

At the zoo, their climate requirements are controlled in order to respect that. For example, in the winter, their cages are kept cold and the alligators are not fed from October until April. "They would know when not to eat as they don’t want the food to rot inside them," he says.

 

 

Getting to know the alligators

  • The Crocodilian family includes: crocodiles, alligators and caimans.
  • The size of a crocodile ranges from seven-and-a half to 12 feet long. The fourth tooth is visible in the lower jaw when its mouth is closed.
  • The size of an alligator ranges from six to six-and-a-half feet long. There are no visible teeth in its jaws when its mouth is closed.
  • The size of a caiman ranges from three-and-a-half to six feet long. There's a bony Ridge in front of its eyes.

Source: Reptiles and Amphibians, by Roger Conant and Joseph T. Collins

Did You know?

  • That alligators are known as "cold-blooded" animals because they are ecothermic. That means their metabolism based on weather conditions
Source: Bronx Zoo.