The American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is the largest reptile in North America, and ancestors of the Alligator appeared over 200 million years ago. The name comes from the early Spanish explorers who called the creature “el legarto”, or “big lizard”. They range from central Texas to North Carolina, but Louisiana has the highest population, close to 2 million in the state. The American Alligator was named the state reptile in 1983, and the highest population occur in the coastal marshes, as well as ponds, lakes, canals, rivers, swamps and bayous.
Females grow to an average of 9 feet in length and a weight of over 200 pounds. Males will grow to an average of 13 feet in length and over 500 pounds in weight. The largest American Alligator on record was taken at Marsh Island, Louisiana at 19 feet and 2 inches long. They grow about a foot per year, and only 10-20% of all hatchlings survive. Adult Alligators have no natural predator except for humans and other alligators, and they are capable of taking deer or cattle with little problem.
