Exact Answer: 24 Hours
For a number of reasons, crocodiles can submerge and remain underwater. Crocodiles stay underwater for 10 to 15 minutes during voluntary dives. If the crocodile is attempting to flee a threat, the dive might last up to 30 minutes or more. Under unsuitable conditions, most crocodiles can stay underwater for up to two hours.
An alligator can readily stay underwater for 20 to 30 minutes, and if required and conditions allow, they may stay submerged for up to 24 hours. They hide in underwater caves on cold days, but as soon as the sun shines and it’s not too chilly, they eventually come out. They gradually prepare to stay underwater for lengthy periods of time by reducing their heart rate, temperature, and other bodily functions.
Thus, alligators stay underwater to either escape harsh conditions, to rest, or to hide from possible threats.
How Long Can An Alligator Stay Underwater?
| Alligator | Duration to stay underwater |
| Nile crocodile | 2 hours |
| American alligator | 24 hours |
| Chinese alligators | 8 hours |
| Caiman alligator | 30 minutes |
Alligators have the same respiratory system as humans. However, if the conditions are unfavorable, these creatures can adapt themselves to staying underwater by holding their breath. Alligators sometimes just go submerged for an easy 20 to 30 minutes.
American alligators can adapt themselves to stay underwater for even longer durations, i.e., up to 24 hours at a stretch without breathing. Although this is rare, there have been certain occasions when alligators have actually survived underwater for a full week at a stretch.
According to studies, an American alligator can stay submerged for up to two hours. The pulse rate might decrease to 2 or 3 beats per minute during this period to assist minimize oxygen use. It’s also been observed that during such lengthy dives, oxygen consumption drops soon after the descent and then rises as the dive progresses. To put it another way, the animal modifies its oxygen intake to allow it to dive for extended periods of time.
Even in cold water, these creatures are survival machines. They can easily survive underwater by holding their breaths for up to one to twenty-four hours without coming up for air. The loss of oxygen can be compensated by reducing body temperature and slowing the heartbeat. This way the crocodiles can stay submerged for quite long till the conditions turn favorable.
Why Can Alligators Stay Underwater For So Long?
Blood doesn’t really have to go to the lungs unnecessarily in a crocodile when it is underwater. The heart rate can drop to as low as 2–3 beats per minute, conserving energy through decreased cellular respiration. Surprisingly, this adaptation is also connected to effective digestion. Oxygen-rich blood is also delivered to the body’s most oxygen-depleted places.
Because of a lower heart rate and the reduction of superfluous blood flow to the lungs, cellular respiration is lowered. In addition, this lack of oxygen permits the crocodile to keep their bodies cool despite the high temperatures found near a water surface. Crocodilians, on the other hand, can perform their most demanding physical activities without utilizing any oxygen at all, a technique known as anaerobic respiration.
Although the lungs can be used as a reserve air source, the crocodile expels the bulk of the air from its lungs when driving swiftly. The crocodilian heart comes into play here, with valves shutting to route blood to critical parts while restricting flow to non-essential areas, resulting in lower oxygen use.
The energy will come from glycolysis, which permits crocodilians to go full out even when their muscle cells are completely depleted. Crocodilians can stay submerged for long periods of time because of these incredible adaptations.
Conclusion
The stated number of two hours has a loophole: crocodilians do not stay submerged for long periods of time in typical conditions. A voluntary dive should last no more than 15 minutes, with most dives lasting 4 to 6 minutes. Alligators were held underwater in studies to determine the maximum dive time before death. The resting animals were the focus of the alligator dive time tests.
As a result, in real-life conditions, energetic and anxious animals will use oxygen up more quickly, limiting their maximum submergence duration. As some individuals who have tried to catch crocodiles have discovered to their cost, a battling crocodile underwater can drown in 20 to 30 minutes.
The crocodile’s ability to survive without oxygen underwater decreases as it grows smaller. An alligator has been observed surviving for more than 8 hours underwater in near-freezing water. The role of heat in crocodilian physiology is further established.
References
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=3-krxwkuW6wC&oi=fnd&pg=PA4&dq=How+long+can+an+alligator+stay+underwater%3F&ots=2hG_LCTdXY&sig=GRTjWG2v8O8Quh2SXOXSFcwI_bU
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=0UDLDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=How+long+can+an+alligator+stay+underwater%3F&ots=s6HFB_NL_P&sig=sCA-b6Nu_t2fJdWiDrjEBI36dGo
