The American alligator is the second-largest reptile ... to "big lizard," and mississippiensis comes from the dominating Mississippi River of central North America, which feeds many slow-moving ...

Alligator stems from the Spanish term “el lagarto,” meaning “big lizard,” while mississippiensis pays homage to the Mississippi River, a lifeline of its habitat. In the wild, American ...

A more recent example of a giant alligator comes from Mississippi, where a giant 4.3-meter (14 feet, 3 inches) alligator was captured in 2023. The animal weighed 364 kilograms (802.5 pounds ...

The American alligator is the second-largest reptile in North America, falling just slightly behind its cousin, the American crocodile. People often confuse these two swamp predators due to their ...