North American alligators grow faster in environments of higher temperature

	Project title: North American alligators grow faster in environments of higher temperature
Difficulty level:	High school
Main link:	None

Hypothesis:

North American Alligator's grow faster in environments of higher temperature.

Warning: This is a dangerous experiment. We had professional handlers to help with the alligators.

Materials:

2 small, young North American Alligators
2 twenty-gallon tanks
6 gallons water
1 kg fish to feed the alligators
1 thermometer

The Procedure:

1. Set up the tanks, with the lamp over one of the tanks (Tank A). Each tank takes 3 gallons of water.

2. Take the temperatures of the air and water in each tank.

3. Feed, weight and measure the alligators 4 times a week.

Results:

Alligator in Tank A gained 70 grams weight and 4 inches in length whilst the alligator in Tank B gained 4.3 grams in weight and 1 inch in length.

The total amount of food consumed by the alligator in Tank A was 600 grams whilst the alligator in Tank B consumed 200 grams.

The hypothesis should be accepted as the Alligator in Tank A (the warmer tank) grew faster than the one in Tank B.

Reasons: In warmer climates, an alligator's metabolic rate increases and hence, it becomes more active and consumes more food.

Pictures:

North American alligator