Inside an Alligator's Body: teacher key

American Alligators, grade 7 edition, written for 7th grade. Read about how an alligator breathes, grows, senses the water and hunts.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. How many species are in the family Alligatoridae?
   • Two
   • Twenty
   • Eight (answer)
2. How often does an alligator usually take a breath of air?
   • Every 2 seconds
   • Every 20 or 30 minutes (answer)
   • Once a year
3. About how fast do young alligators grow?
   • A foot a year (answer)
   • A yard a day
   • An inch a year
4. When do alligators hunt mostly?
   • At noon
   • In winter only
   • At night (answer)
5. What does species mean here?
   • A kind of water
   • A kind of animal (answer)
   • A kind of nest
6. Why can an alligator breathe with the rest of its body under water?
   • Its nostrils face upward at the end of its snout (answer)
   • It has gills
   • It has no mouth

Words

• crocodilians: alligators and kin
• nostrils: nose openings
• species: kind of animal
• hatchlings: newly hatched young