American Alligator

Scientific name

Alligator mississippiensis

Common name

American alligator

Conservation Status

Least concern

Taxonomy

  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Class: Reptilia
  • Order: Crocodylia
  • Family: Alligatoridae
  • Genus: Alligator
  • Species: Alligator mississippiensis

Habitat

American alligators inhabit freshwater swamps, marshes, rivers, lakes, and canals in the southeastern United States, but they can also be found in brackish water and occasionally in saltwater.

Geographic range

United States from North Carolina to the Rio Grande in Texas.

Our Animals Name

Nero

Favorite enrichment item

Pumpkin with frozen blood cubes

Life span

In the wild: 30 to 50 years
In human care: Up to 70+

Diet

In the wild: fish, insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals
At the Zoo: Mice, fish, rats, chicken, quail, rabbits, and enrichment foods like yams and pumpkin.

Location in the Zoo

The American Alligator habitat is located across from the Prairie Dog habitat, between the Fossil Find and the baseball field. If it is cold out and you can’t find her in her habitat, take a look through the glass of the grey building.

Meet Nero, Our Cold-Blooded Survivor

With jaws that can crush, a tail that can launch, and a favorite snack that includes frozen blood cubes inside a pumpkin (yum?), Nero is not your average reptile. As our resident American Alligator, Nero is a living fossil, representing over 150 million years of crocodilian evolution—and she’s still going strong!

Just a Big Lizard?

Well, technically no. American alligators are considered crocodilians, not lizards. While they are both reptiles, lizards and crocodilians evolved from different ancestors. To put this into perspective, crocodilians are more closely related to modern birds and dinosaurs than they are to lizards, even though they look very similar. So, what other reptiles are classified as crocodilians? Alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and gharials!

Gator or Croc?

Let’s clear up a common mix-up: Nero is an alligator, not a crocodile!

Here’s how to tell the difference:

  • Alligators have U-shaped snouts (great for crunching turtles).
  • Crocodiles have V-shaped snouts.
  • If you are able to see the fourth tooth, that’s a crocodile. If the mouth is closed on an alligator, their fourth tooth fits inside their upper jaw, while it is visible in a crocodile.
  • Alligators prefer freshwater, while crocodiles tolerate saltwater

Fun fact: This difference in salt tolerance between alligators and crocodiles is believed to be why crocodiles are more widely dispersed throughout the world, while alligators and caiman are generally found localized in North and South America.

Built for the Hunt

Nero is a patient predator with a serious bite. With a diet of fish, birds, reptiles, and mammals in the wild, she’s what we call an opportunistic predator—if it moves (or floats), it’s fair game. At the Zoo, her meals include mice, rats, fish, quail, chicken, rabbits, and the occasional enrichment snack like yams and pumpkins.

Alligators always seem to have a gleaming smile because they are polyphyodonts, which means that they continually grow teeth throughout their lifetime! The average American alligator has around 80 teeth at a time, but will go through about 2,000–3,000! This adaptation helps alligators retain their teeth while still allowing for a very aggressive hunting and feeding style, like the classic death roll.

Stealth Mode: Activated

Despite their laid-back appearance, alligators are incredibly athletic:

  • On land, they can reach up to 11 mph in short bursts
  • In the water they can go up to 20 mph
  • Don’t get too close! They can lunge in a forward direction 10 feet in a single burst

Alligators are not just athletic, but very hardy as well! When spending time in the water, alligators take a breath of air every 20 to 30 minutes, on average. When hunting or hiding, alligators can hold their breath for a whopping 24 hours! How do they do this? They have adapted the ability to slow their heart rate to only 2 to 3 beats per minute. This allows them to consume oxygen from their lungs at a staggeringly low rate.

Cold-Blooded… and Cold-Weather Ready!

Nero may be able to go inside for the winter, but her wild counterparts can’t. What do they do when it gets cold? Don’t worry too much, because they are prepared for winter! Alligators go into brumation, which is the reptile version of hibernation. During brumation, alligators have a few behavioral adaptations that they rely on for survival. They can:

  • Take over a mammal den to stay nice and insulated underground
  • Stay submerged as long as they are able at the muddy bottom of their watery home
  • Use “icing”—a technique where they poke their snouts above frozen water to create an air pocket

They’re so well-adapted that they can survive being frozen in place, as long as their nostrils stay above the ice!

Mama Gators: Protective Powerhouses

One of the most surprising facts about alligators?

They’re actually amazing moms. After laying eggs, female alligators guard the nest fiercely. Once the babies start hatching, she carefully opens the nest and carries each hatchling to water in her mouth! This kind of care was once thought to be impossible in reptiles and has reshaped our understanding of parental behavior in many species.

Conservation Status

Conservation: From Endangered to Example

The conservation history of the American alligator is an example of a true success story, demonstrating the power of effective wildlife management and protection.

Early settlers who came into contact with alligators often viewed them as a desirable trophy or a nuisance animal. These meetings were few and far between and didn’t have much of an impact on the overall population. During the early 1850’s everything changed with the commercial hunting of alligators for their leather. Alligator bags, boots, and belts became the height of fashion, and in an attempt to keep up with the demand populations declined. On top of this, in the early 1900’s large portions of their habitat were either drained to be used as agricultural land or altered significantly for mineral exploration.

As a result, by the 1960’s alligator populations were decimated. In 1967 American alligators were given protection under the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, which was helpful but did not bring their numbers back to reflect a stable population. In 1973 they were classified as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and thankfully this time the conservation action worked! Through the strict regulations, habitat restoration, and sustainable management practices set by the Endangered Species Act, alligators were able to come back from the brink of extinction.

Today, American alligators are thriving across the southeastern United States, serving as a model for other species’ conservation efforts. Their story illustrates the importance of legal protection, community involvement, and science-based conservation strategies, showing that with the right approach, we can help other endangered species recover and flourish for generations to come!