Habitat The tail also helps gators roll. Although it cannot breathe underwater, an alligator can hold its breath for up to an hour. No, sea turtles can not breath underwater. Alligators on the other hand can hold their breath from 4 - 15 minutes but can remain underwater for two hours if needed and if they aren't stressed. American Alligators have a long snout with upward facing nostrils at the end; this lets them breathe while the rest of the body is underwater. Both alligators and crocodiles are massive reptiles, though crocodiles are the larger of the two species on average. Clauses Plausibility inference from child typicality. Amphibians that can hold their breath for a very long time also exist. They prepare slowly to stay underwater for those long period by slowing their heart beat, temperature, etc. Many amphibians can breathe underwater in one way or the other. Most of them who cannot breathe underwater can still stay for a long period by simply holding their breath. Alligators can stay underwater for quite a while. Alligators and crocodiles can sleep underwater. Contrary to popular belief, most reptiles are not actually slimy. Feeding an alligator is against the law. They can stay under water anywhere from 1 hour to 24 hours (if necessary and the conditions are right). Turtles breathe through their butt’s when underwater. Alligators fill their bellies with small rocks as a way to stay underwater for longer periods of time, according to a recent study in the journal Integrative Organismal Biology. Never approach or feed an alligator. Ingesting stones equal to just 2.5 percent of the alligators’ body weight increased the animals’ dive time by an average of 88 percent, extending it up to 35 minutes, Science magazine reported. Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing. The trait "is not unique to birds," Farmer says. Sea turtles also have a cloaca that helps them gather oxygen while underwater. Young alligators feed on small fish and aquatic invertebrates, but in turn, they can be food for raccoons, crabs, large snakes, turtles, various types of wading birds and even fish. A typical dive might last 10 to 20 minutes. The crocodile can survive underwater without taking a fresh breath for a considerable period of time (see FAQ), although a voluntary dive normally lasts no longer than 20 minutes. Because reptiles don’t have sweat glands, their skin is usually cool and dry. Although it cannot breathe underwater, an alligator can hold its breath for up to an hour. Alligators cannot actually breathe underwater, because they don't have gills. In times of extreme stress, extended dives can be employed by the crocodile. When they are not active, they can hold their breath for a maximum of about two hours underwater before drowning. They can also lower their heart rate down to about a beat per minute and large ones can stay submerged for three hours or more. A struggling crocodile underwater can actually drown in 20 to 30 minutes, as some people attempting to capture crocodiles have found to their cost. Source(s): Do I really need my 20 years of working with alligators to answer this question? Meet Chris Gillette of Animal Planet’s Gator Boys, a born-and-raised Floridian who’s been a real, live alligator wrestler/handler for 20-something years, and is also an underwater photographer. The smaller the crocodile, the lower its capacity to survive without oxygen underwater. Can Crocodiles Breathe in Water? Typically alligators live in tropical areas so there is no need for them to do so as the places in which they reside are generally warm year round. Alligators have muscular, flat tails that propel them while swimming. Alligators stick their noses out of frozen swap, live in icy water. For example, some salamanders such as the Mexican Axolotl can breathe underwater using gills. Although alligators cannot breathe underwater, they are able to hold their breath for long periods of time while submerged. Alligators can't breathe under water at all. The dermal bones are highly vascularised and aid in calcium balance, both to neutralize acids while the animal cannot breathe underwater and to provide calcium for eggshell formation. The two kinds of white alligators are albino and leucistic. 4. . Rule weight: 0.66 Evidence weight: 0.82 Similarity weight: 1.00 They have little slits on the sides of their heads that act as gills that permit them to breathe for very long periods of time underwater. When swimming underwater, alligators are water tight. Crocodiles cannot breathe underwater: they breathe air, just like people. Normally, when underwater, they are active and can hold their breathe for a maximum of 20 minutes to one hour. The record time spent underwater is eight hours in freezing conditions; this is because a cold crocodile uses less energy and oxygen so it can hold its breath longer than a warm one. Yes. Some crocodiles swallow stones and rocks so that they can dive deeper underwater with more ease. Normally, when underwater, they are active and can hold their breath for a maximum of 20 minutes to one hour. Alligators Can Eat While They Swim? Alligators and crocodiles can sleep underwater. 0.55. Feeding alligators makes them lose their fear of humans. This is far longer than terrestrial mammalian prey can achieve, and is a common strategy used to subdue struggling prey. Scientists also discovered some salamanders with neither gills or lungs, who just basically respire through their skin. Usually these creatures are able to hold their breath anywhere from 4 to 15 minutes; however they have been known to remain underwater for longer periods of time if necessary. 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