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American Alligator

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator or common alligator, 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. Adult male American alligators measure 3.4 to 4.6 m (11.2 to 15.1 ft) in length and can weigh up to 500 kg (1,100 lb), with unverified sizes of up to 5.84 m (19.2 ft) and weights of 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) making it the second largest member of the family Alligatoridae, after the black caiman. (Photo by George Wilson/NurPhoto)

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