The American alligator is a large, semi-aquatic, carnivorous, fresh water reptile that lives in the warm southeastern part of the United States, with the largest populations in Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The name is from the Spanish el larato, meaning big lizard, which is what the Spanish explorers called the creature.

The alligator can be distinguished from a crocodile by its broad, U-shaped snout as opposed to the narrow, V-shaped snout of the croc.

The alligator was endangered in...