Swamps and Wetlands

Wetlands in our country are disappearing. Wetlands are waterlogged soil that is covered by shallow water at least part of the year.  water affects the plants and animals that live there. There are different types of wetlands.  Freshwater types are called marshes (near lakes, ponds and rivers), wet meadows (low lying ares), bogs and fens are cooler and higfh in acid, and swamps have trees and shrubs.  Saltwater marshes are affected by tides, mangrove swamps are warmer an in tropical locations.  Wetlands filter our water, protect from storms and flooding, are nurseries for fish, crustaceans and amphibians, they are stopovers for migratory birds, they store water and are beautiful.    to read more check out www.wetland.org.
Alligators nest in wetland areas,  Alligators breed in the Spring (April to May). A month after the noisy mating rituals and coupling, the female lays up to 50 eggs in a large (three feet tall and six feet wide) nest she constructed of mud, leaves and twigs on dry ground. Alligators do not sit on their eggs; that would crush the eggs. The rotting vegetation in the nest warms the eggs. The temperature of the nest determines the sex of the hatchlings. If the eggs are incubated over 93 degrees Fahrenheit (34 degrees Celsius), the embryo develops as a male; temperatures below 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) result in female embryos, between these temperatures, both sexes are produced. The female guards the nest from predators.

The eggs hatch in 2 months, producing hatchlings about 6 inches long (15 cm). The group of babies (called a pod) are protected by the female for about a year. Alligators are among the most nurturing of the reptiles.