# American alligator (*Alligator mississippiensis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-alligator  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is a species in the family Alligatoridae. It has been recorded in 13 countries, most often in United States, Japan and Germany. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marsh, swamp, tropics |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Recorded in | 13 countries |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Crocodylia
- family: Alligatoridae
- genus: Alligator
- species: *Alligator mississippiensis* (Daudin, 1801)

Synonyms: *Alligator lucius*, *Crocodilus cuvieri*, *Crocodilus lucius*, *Crocodilus mississipiensis*, *Crocodylus mississippiensis*

## Where it has been recorded

Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF (records in brackets). Recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

United States (12134), Japan (15), Germany (14), Australia (4), Mexico (3), South Africa (3), Brazil (2), Finland (2), Nicaragua (2), France (1), Nigeria (1), Panama (1), Singapore (1)

## Common questions

### Where does the American alligator live?

The American alligator has openly licensed sighting records from 13 countries on GBIF. The most records come from United States, Japan, Germany, Australia and Mexico. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

### Is the American alligator endangered?

The American alligator is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

## Sources

- [GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/dataset/d7dddbf4-2cf0-4f39-9b2a-bb099caae36c), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org.
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0 1.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata, the free knowledge base.
- [GBIF occurrence aggregates (CC0 and CC BY records only)](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF.org occurrence search, country facet counts restricted to CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 records.
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/), Per file, live API 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Licence and creator recorded per file.
- [English Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/), CC BY-SA 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Cite as: American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-alligator