According to the National Park Service, juvenile gators usually eat a variety of small vertebrates, such as insects, small fish, and frogs. Adult gators’ diets usually consist of fish, turtles, small mammals, birds, and reptiles, including small alligators.
You don’t see this every day: An alligator proudly crosses the road with a prized turtle in its mouth.
The gator was seen having a quick snack at the ARM Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Boynton Beach, Florida, last month.
According to the National Park Service, juvenile gators usually eat a variety of small vertebrates, such as insects, small fish and frogs. Adult gators’ diets usually consist of fish, turtles, small mammals, birds and reptiles, including small alligators.
DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA – JANUARY 13: An alligator populate the Wakodahatchee Wetlands on January 13, 2025 in Delray Beach, Florida. The warmer climate in the southern part of Florida provides a welcome habitat for a host of wildlife.
(Photo by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
This young gator certainly has an adult-sized appetite.
“American alligators treat turtles like nature’s hard candy,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a Facebook post. “An alligator’s jaw is so powerful they have no problem crunching through a hard turtle shell.”
American alligators can range from 6 to 14 feet long. In captivity, female gators may live to be 30 years old, but males can live past 60, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife.