Alligators are highly hunted animals. So much so, they were on the brink of extinction. Now, however, you can find them in nearly every body of water in Florida.
短吻鳄是被频繁猎杀的动物。所以，他们濒临灭绝。然而，现在你几乎可以在佛罗里达的每一个水系中找到它们。
Alligators in the wild usually live 35-50 years. In captivity, they usually live 60-80 years.
野外的短吻鳄通常能活35-50年。他们通常被囚禁在80-60。
They are considered a renewable source and part of Florida’s increasing aquaculture industry.
它们被认为是一种可再生资源，也是佛罗里达州日益增长的水产养殖业的一部分。
Male alligators will use infrasound while mating.
雄性短吻鳄在交配时会使用次声。
Female alligators are very devoted moms and will stay near their nests at all times to protect their eggs from nest-raiding predators like raccoons, skunks, and opossums. The females will eventually have to protect their babies from male alligators who are preying on them too.
雌性短吻鳄是非常忠诚的妈妈，它们会一直呆在它们的巢穴附近，以保护它们的卵免受浣熊、臭鼬和负鼠等掠食者的袭击。雌鳄最终还要保护自己的宝宝不受雄性短吻鳄的攻击。
The gender of an alligator is determined entirely by what temperature the eggs are kept at.
短吻鳄的性别完全取决于卵的保存温度。
Due to hunting by humans, alligator breeding is hard in certain areas and therefore different zoos have set up an alligator breeding unit so that alligators can stay protected and off the endangered list.
由于人类的捕猎，短吻鳄的繁殖在某些地区是很困难的，因此不同的动物园各自设立有一个短吻鳄繁育区域，以使短吻鳄能够得到保护，不会面临灭绝。
Baby alligators are born with an eye-tooth that they use to crack their eggs. However, after a few days, it will disappear.
小短吻鳄出生时就有一颗用来裂蛋的眼齿。然而，几天后，它就会消失。
Male alligators use a series of different grunts and groans to show a female that they are interested in mating. Alligators do not have vocal cords so instead, they use water to emulate the sounds of a grunt by sucking up the water and then blowing it out.
雄性短吻鳄用一系列不同的咕噜声和哼哼声来向雌性表明它们对交配有需求。短吻鳄没有声带，所以它们用水来模仿呼噜的声音，把它们水吸起来，然后把它吹出来。
Ultimately, it is the female who will decide if she wants to mate or not.
最终，是雌性决定是否要交配。
An alligator is a crocodilian within the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae
短吻鳄是短吻鳄科鳄鱼属中的鳄鱼
Often confused with a crocodile because of the close relationship between the two
它经常与鳄鱼混淆，因为两者关系密切
Member of the order Crocodylia
鳄梨目成员
There are two different types of alligators, the American alligator, and the Chinese alligator.
有两种不同类型的短吻鳄，美国短吻鳄和中国短吻鳄。
First appeared during the Palocene epoch 37 million years ago
最早出现在3700万年前的帕洛西时期
Alligators are social creatures and like to associate in groups that are referred to as congregations. These are the groups that can be found basking in the sun together.
短吻鳄是群居动物，喜欢汇集在一起。这些是可以被发现一起晒太阳的群体。
They cannot control their temperature internally so when they are cold, they sunbathe to warm up and when they are hot, they go for a swim to cool off.
他们无法控制自己的体温，当他们感到冷的时候，它们靠晒太阳取暖，当它们感到冷的时候，它们就靠游泳去降温。
Alligators use the water to find food, hunting down fish and mollusks while also watching the land for birds and small mammals. They are carnivores but they will eat fruit as well.
短吻鳄利用水寻找食物，捕食鱼类和软体动物，同时也观察陆地上的鸟类和小型哺乳动物。它们是食肉动物，但也会吃水果。
There is no average lifespan for an alligator currently measured. In 1937, an alligator was brought to Belgrade Zoo in Serbia from Germany and is still alive today at 80 years old.
目前还没有检测出短吻鳄的平均寿命。1937年，一只短吻鳄从德国被带到塞尔维亚的贝尔格莱德动物园，至今仍活着，年愈80岁。
The name alligator comes from the word el lagarto, which is a Spanish term that means “the lizard”. Spanish explorers settled in Florida had named the alligator. However, English spelling changed the word to other names which included allagarta and alagarto
短吻鳄这个名字来自于ellagarto这个词，这是一个西班牙词，意思是“蜥蜴”。在佛罗里达定居的西班牙探险家给这只短吻鳄取了名。然而，英语拼法改变了这个词的拼写方法，还有拼成包括阿拉加塔和阿拉加托的
They are very proficient in the water and use their tails to swim quickly.
它们在水中非常自在，用尾巴游得很快。
Largest Alligator ever found on record measured 19.2 feet in Louisiana
路易斯安那州有记录以来发现的最大的短吻鳄长19.2英尺
Alligators can swim at 20 mph and they can run on land at 11 mph.
短吻鳄能以每小时20英里的速度游泳，在陆地上以每小时11英里的速度奔跑。
Chinese alligators are considered critically endangered
扬子鳄被认为是极度濒危物种
