For those of you that know me, I would rather be sneaking around a swamp or local waterway. These are jumbo alligators that lose a lot of body temperature, on a chilly night and have to get along with each other the next day, in the sunshine, to bring up their body temperature. Notice how well fed these guys look. Alligators first appeared on planet earth during the Oligocene period about 37 million years ago. The name alligator is an anglicized form of 'el lagarto', the Spanish term for "lizard". A large adult American alligator's weight and length is 800 pounds (360 kg) and 13 feet (4.0 m) long, but they can grow to 14.5 feet (4.4 m) long and weigh over 1,000 pounds (450 kg). The largest ever recorded was found in Louisiana, US and measured 19 feet 2 inches (5.84 m). In 1937, a one year-old specimen was brought to the Belgrade Zoo in Serbia from Germany. It is now 76 years old. Info from Wikipedia. Photos taken November 2008. Zoom will not increase the size but will enhance the details greatly. Thanks for stopping by, taking a look and for all your previous favs and comments. They are very much appreciated. Dana