Reptiles › Alligators and Caimans
American Alligator
Alligator mississippiensis
106,806 observations in the source records
25 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
What the records say
- 106,806 observations are recorded in the imported source snapshot. Observation source
Easily confused with
American CrocodileCrocodylus acutus
Spectacled CaimanCaiman crocodilus
Morelet's CrocodileCrocodylus moreletii
Yacare CaimanCaiman yacare
Florida Softshell TurtleApalone ferox
Black CaimanMelanosuchus niger
Saltwater CrocodileCrocodylus porosus
Common Water MonitorVaranus salvator
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| United States | 100,610 |
|---|---|
| Texas | 18,758 |
| South Carolina | 7,771 |
| Louisiana | 6,722 |
| Georgia | 5,942 |
| North Carolina | 2,483 |
| Alabama | 1,492 |
| Mississippi | 1,423 |
| Arkansas | 247 |
| Oklahoma | 85 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Behavioral
- CarnivoreEats other animals or animal-derived prey as a major part of its diet.Inferred from its group
Group and habits
- PredatorDescends from an animal lineage whose members commonly hunt other animals.Inferred from its group
Classification
| Kingdom | Animals · Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordates · Chordata |
| Class | Reptiles · Reptilia |
| Order | Crocodilians · Crocodylia |
| Family | Alligators and Caimans · Alligatoridae |
| Genus | Alligators · Alligator |
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise American Alligator with real photos from different observers. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.