A young American alligator has yellow marks across its body, but these fade after a time. When grown, the American alligator is dull gray and dark olive in color. She lays 20 to 60 eggs in the center of the pile, where the nest is wet. The eggs are white, hard-shelled, and slightly larger than hens' eggs. The young emerge from the eggs after about nine weeks.
Alligators provide more care for their young than do most reptiles.
After laying eggs, the female stays near the nest, guarding the eggs against predators. When the young hatch, they give high-pitched yelps, and the mother comes to scratch open the nest and free them. The mother alligator protects her young for a year or more. After this time, the females grow more slowly. But the males continue to grow at the same rate for several years more.