Staying Safe in Alligator Country

Recreational outings in the alligators’ natural habitat can be an exciting, and safe experience when you understand and respect how they live, and take necessary, safety precautions.

by Deborah Tukua Updated: January 16, 2024

Recreational outings in the alligators’ natural habitat can be an exciting, and safe experience when you understand and respect how they live, and take necessary, safety precautions. This intriguing, scaly creature with a massive tail and an abundance of sharp teeth got its name from early Spanish explorers and settlers in Florida. They called it ‘el legarto,’ or ‘the lizard.’ When the British acquired the Florida territory in the 1760s they adopted the Spanish term, and alligator has remained its English name ever since.

Interesting Facts About the American Alligator

(Alligator mississippiensis)

Alligators primarily live in the wild in Florida and Louisiana, but can also be found in the states of Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi, Texas and Oklahoma.
It is estimated that the states of Florida and Louisiana each has an alligator population of more than one million, with a total population of 5 million alligators in the US.
Alligators live in warm climates in lakes, ponds, swamps, and other slow-moving bodies of freshwater, but can also be found in marshes, and other brackish waters.
Alligators are North America’s largest amphibious reptile, and are referred to as ‘living dinosaurs’.
Young alligators feed primarily on insects, small fish, and amphibians. Adult alligators feed on fish, crabs, birds, other reptiles, snakes, turtles, raccoons, and other small mammals. Large alligators have been known to prey on larger animals like panther, deer, and bear.
The males can grow up to 18 feet long and weigh about 1,000 pounds.
Lifespan of alligators in the wild is about 35 years. In captivity, their lifespan can exceed 50 years.
It has about 80 teeth. When one is lost, a new one grows in its place. Alligators can have up to 3,000 teeth in their lifetime. Once it has clamped down on a captured prey, it is nearly impossible to pry an alligator’s jaw open. Its teeth are strong enough to crush a turtle shell.
Its powerful tail is as long as its body, and is used to propel it in the water, and to perform the death roll.
Even though the alligator has short legs it can run quickly for short bursts, and has been known to climb chain link fences to avoid capture.
Crocodiles differ from alligators in that they live only in salt water, are lighter in color, and have a narrow, v-shaped snout instead of a round one. Crocodiles are also more aggressive. In the U.S., crocodiles are only found in southern Florida.
To defend its territory or to attract a mate during spring breeding season, alligators make a bellowing sound. Bellowing is done in a tail-arched, head-oblique position.
Alligators are beneficial to the environment. They create deep pockets in swamp lands that retain water. During times of drought, many wetland animals survive on these alligator-made watering holes. Alligators also consume and help control the population of the invasive, nonnative nutria rodents. Young alligators help by eating insects.

What’s the Difference Between An Alligator and a Crocodile?