Alligators of the Slow Rivers: teacher key

American Alligators, grade 4 edition, written for 4th grade. An alligator has a wide snout and sensory spots on its jaws. Read about its size, teeth, nest and life in the wild.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What decides whether a baby alligator is a male or a female?
   • The size of the egg
   • The mother's color
   • The temperature of the nest (answer)
2. Where do American alligators live?
   • From Maine to Ohio
   • From North Carolina to central Texas (answer)
   • From Texas to California
3. What do the sensory spots around an alligator's jaws feel?
   • Pressure changes in the water (answer)
   • Colors
   • Salt in the water
4. What does sensory mean here?
   • For hiding
   • For swimming fast
   • For sensing (answer)
5. An alligator can stay in salty water only for a short time. What does that say about where it mostly lives?
   • In salty water
   • In fresh water (answer)
   • In the desert
6. As of November 2026, about how long does a wild alligator typically live?
   • 20 to 30 years (answer)
   • 2 to 3 years
   • 200 years

Words

• scutes: bony plates
• bask: rest in sun
• sensory: for sensing
• den: resting place