🌍 World Animal Map

American alligator map Alligator mississippiensis Least concern

Where the american alligator lives: an interactive map of recorded sightings worldwide.

Approximate range, based on recorded sightings. Shapes are drawn by World Animal Map from 897 wild occurrence records on GBIF (CC0/CC BY 4.0; captive and fossil records excluded, isolated outliers removed), grouped into 1° grid cells and clipped to land and nearby coastal waters. They show where the animal has been recorded, not an official range; gaps can simply mean no open data. Method · Records on GBIF

American Alligator
Photo: User:Postdlf, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific nameAlligator mississippiensis
StatusLeast concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Mapped range layers1
Records used897 wild occurrence records (GBIF, CC0/CC BY)
GroupCrocodiles & alligators

Interesting facts

  • American alligators exhibit parental care for up to 3 years post birth. [source]
  • On average, it is the largest species in the family Alligatoridae, with only the black caiman being possibly larger. [source]
  • Unlike most other land vertebrates, American alligators increase their speed through the distal rather than proximal ends of their limbs. [source]
  • Louisiana has the largest American alligator population of any U.S. state. [source]

About the american alligator

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), sometimes referred to as a common alligator or just gator, is a large crocodilian reptile native to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two extant species in the genus Alligator, and is larger than the only other living alligator species, the Chinese alligator.

Photos

American alligator: AlligatorFL2007
Photo: User:Leafyplant, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
American alligator: Alligator Crâne et Mandibule
Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Alligator mississippiensis (American alligator)
Photo: Bobyellow, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Text in “About”, “Interesting facts” and “Population” is quoted from the Wikipedia article American alligator (revision 1379279661), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: sentences excerpted verbatim, citations and formatting removed. No text added. Taxa and status: Wikidata Q193327 (CC0).

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