By
Jonathan Hamm
I first discovered the Hard-Back Rattling-Gator when I
was in Ozora Meadow woods in Tribble Mill Park in
Lawrenceville, Georgia.
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The Hard-Back Rattling-Gator is a reptile that grows up to 25
inches long from head to tail.
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It looks like it is related to the rattle snake and the alligator.
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Their color is made up of green and brown patterns.
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They have long bodies and long necks.
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Their bodies have hard scales on their backs for protection.
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They’ll mostly use their rattle-tails to protect their eggs and
young babies.
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They use their necks to kill prey by squeezing them to death.
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The Rattling-Gators can camouflage themselves in the woods
and in the water.
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The Hard-Back Rattling-Gator can live in both wetland and
woodland habitats. They live in the woods, but stay near
swamp areas.
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The baby rattle-gator spends most of its time in the water
because they are born with webbed feet and they do not
have their clawed legs yet. They go on land only with their
parents.
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The adult rattle-gator spends more time on land. They stay
under the trees, in the bushes or inside logs. This helps
them to stay cool.
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They go in the water to cool off after running around in the
hot sun and to look for food.
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Baby-Rattle-gator
Small fish
Insects
They eat off prey
that their parents
kill.
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Young and adult
Frogs
Squirrels
Fish
Otters
Raccoons
Birds
Life cycle of a
Hard-Back
Rattling-Gator
adult
eggs
Young
rattlegator
baby
•The
female Rattle-Gator lays between 3 – 5 eggs at a
time.
•They lay their eggs inside a nest.
•The parents stays close to the nest to protect the eggs.
•The eggs take up to 90 days to develop.
•The
baby gator has brown and green patterns.
• They stay close to their parents because their backs are still
soft and their vision is not very good. They need their parents
for protection.
•They don’t have teeth yet so their mother chews their food for
them and feeds them.
•They are good swimmers because they have webbed feet.
•They are learning to use their rattles to scare off animals.
•They
now have sharp teeth to kill their own prey.
• They use their necks to squeeze it’s prey to death.
• The young rattle-gator’s back is getting very hard and this
makes it hard for other animals to attack it.
•The scales on their bodies looks a lot like their parents.
•They use their rattle tails to scare off attackers.
•They are good swimmers and great hunters.
•They spend less time with their parents because they can
take care of themselves.
The adult has very hard scales all over their body.
• The adult has very sharp teeth and they can swallow small animals whole.
•They are very good swimmers and hunters.
• It has strong legs and claws on their feet.
•The mother and father rattling-gators are very protective over their eggs.
•
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Real snake
lays about 10- 15
eggs
baby snakes do not
stay with their
parents.
They have to protect
themselves.
The female snake
will bury her eggs to
protect them
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Rattling-Gator
Lays up to 4 eggs
Baby stays with
parents.
Parents protect their
babies.
The mother lays
eggs in nest.
ALLIGATOR
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In 3 months alligator
will hatch.
After running around,
the alligator gets
overheated and have
to go in the water to
cool off.
Good swimmers.
Baby alligators stay
with their mothers.
RATTLING-GATOR
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In 3 months it will
hatch.
After running around
looking for food, the
rattling-gator goes in
the water to cool off.
Good swimmers.
Baby rattling-gators
stay with their
parents.