Because of their highly colored hides at birth, newborn alligators can be seen quite easily by other predators. Their small size, approximately 10 inches long, also prevents them from being able to defend themselves, in spite of their tiny needlelike teeth. They are, however, capable of making a loud chirping sound that usually brings immediate assistance from the mother. Only one in 10 alligators actually lives to its first full year. If they survive that first year, they will continue to grow quickly up to the age of 6.
Alligators grow less the older they become.
The average life span of an alligator runs about 40 years for those in the wild, compared to 50 years for those in captivity. One captive alligator at the Cincinnati Zoo lived more than 70 years, but that is definitely not the norm. These gator holes provide safe havens for not only alligators but other aquatic wildlife, and become a part of the local landscape as habitats. Then in the wet season, the wildlife preserved in the gator holes actually provide the seed stock for replenishing and repopulating the rejuvenated marshlands. Environmental Threats Florida at one time had an abundance of alligators, and even though their numbers are a fraction of totals from 150 years ago, they are still found throughout the state.