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American Alligator

Alligator mississippiensis

Commonly heard bellowing from the freshwater marshes of the South, the American alligator is one of the most important megafaunal species in the U.S's aquatic ecosystems.

Habitat:

Tropical and tropical freshwater wetlands (cypress swamps, streams, rivers, lakes, marshes, ponds, bays)

Status:

Least concern

Weight:

Males - 500 pounds

Females - 200 pounds

Length:

9-13 feet (Max. 15 feet)

alligator, gator, crocodile, bayou, Louisiana, swamp, gator

A leucistic American alligator

Living in the swamps of the southern U.S, the alligator's name is suspected of coming from the Spanish el lagarto, meaning "the lizard," which was the name the Conquistadors denoted these American crocodilians when they occupied Florida's marshes and swamps.

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From the 1800s to the mid-1900s, poaching and unsustainable hunting led to the near extinction of the beautiful American alligator. In an effort to save them from extinction, hunting them was made strictly illegal and the U.S commissioned sizeable commercial breeding farms to raise their numbers.

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Like big cats, bears, or wolves in forests and grasslands, the American alligator is the apex predator of the South's swamps. They are opportunists, however, who choose their prey with consideration to their personal size and age as well as the size of their prey, and the availability of what is in their area. Among their most commonly eaten quarry are non-native coypu are popular prey – mainly for larger adults – but muskrats and raccoons are the most popular prey items among native mammals. They also commonly eat birds, snakes, fish, turtles, amphibians, and invertebrates.

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While alligators prefer smaller prey items, they do eat larger mammals occasionally, like whitetail deer, bobcats, and non-native wild hogs and Burmese pythons. Predation of American black bears and Florida cougars is quite rare, but not unheard of. Supplementing their carnivorous diet with fruit, they snack on domesticated citrus, grapes, and wild elderberries.

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Their breeding season begins in Spring: at nighttime, they gather en masse and engage in "water dances," or large group courtship events. Once the females are ready to lay eggs, they gather sticks, mud, and vegetation to make nests, which are typically built near or in the water's edge.

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