Reptiles of North Carolina

Scientific Name:	Common Name:		Family (Alpha):

NC Records
Sole representative of Alligatoridae in NC
Alligator mississippiensis - American Alligator

Photo: Chuck Richardson

Photo: Z. Lunn, D. Crilley, A. Carter, T. Garner

Taxonomy

Class: Reptilia

Order: Crocodilia

Family: Alligatoridae


Taxonomic Comments: Alligator mississippiensis is one of only two species in this genus, with the other, Alligator sinensis, found in the Yangtse River in China. American Alligators are also the sole representative of the family Alligatoridae in North America, with a number of Caiman species found in the New World Tropics the only other members of this family found in the Western Hemisphere. One of those species, the Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodylus, has established populations in Florida, where there are also populations of our native American Crocodile, Crocodylus acutus, belonging to a separate family.
Species Comments:

Identification

Basis for Records: Good quality photographs are sufficient to document an occurrence of this species.

Description: Both juveniles and adults are unmistakable in North Carolina, with no other Crocodilians occurring in the state, at least as established populations (pet caimans may sometimes occur where they have been released into the wild).

Field Marks: A massive aquatic reptile with webbed feet, a laterally compressed tail, bony plates embedded in its skin, and eyes with vertical pupils. Juveniles are contrastingly marked with yellow and black bands. Spectacled Caimans are smaller and possess a bony transverse ridge in front of the eyes. Their young are yellowish with brown blotches.

Morphological Features: In North Carolina, the recorded maximum lengths (including tails) are 12.5' (382cm), males and 7.7'(232cm), females (Palmer and Braswell, 1995)

Vocalizations: Alligators produce a variety of vocalizations, ranging from the chirps made by juveniles and grunts given by both sexes of the adults. Males are also capable of very deep bellows that they produce during the breeding season.

Technical Reference: Palmer and Braswell (1995)

Field Guide Descriptions: Beane et al. (2010); Powell et al. (2016)

Online Photos: Google iNaturalist GBIF

Observation Methods: During the day, individuals can be seen basking along the shores of ponds and rivers. The forage mainly at night, when they can be spotted by their eyeshine when illuminated with flashlights

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution Comments: Restricted to the Coastal Plain and now ranging north as far as Merchant's Millpond State Park in Gates County (recorded in 2022); until recently, they were not known north of the Albemarle Sound (Palmer and Braswell, 1995). Most records are from the Lower Coastal Plain and Tidewater regions but Alligators occasionally travel inland along some of the larger rivers. A 2020 record from Richmond County represents the inland-most record for this species in the state.
Distribution Reference: Palmer and Braswell (1995); NCMNS Herpetology Collection Database (accessed 2023-02)
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.

Key Habitat Requirements

Habitat: Alligators occur in a wide range of permanently inundated habitats in the Coastal Plain. These include rivers and larger streams; lakes and permanent ponds; swamps and other sluggishly flowing waters; and estuaries. Although primarily associated with freshwater habitats, brackish marshes and tidal creeks are also used. Although ocean waters are occasionally entered, with Alligators sometimes showing up on beaches, salt waters are not included within the range of aquatic habitats normally used by this species.

Environmental and Physiological Tolerances: The northern limits of this species are determined by their ability to survive freezing periods in the winter. That they are now found farther north than they were in 1995, when Palmer and Braswell's Reptiles of North Carolina was published, may be a result of global climate change.

Life History and Autecology

General Ecology

Adverse Environmental Impacts

Status in North Carolina

NHP State Rank: S3

Global Rank: G5

Status in North Carolina: T

Global Status: T(S/A)

Photo Gallery for Alligator mississippiensis - American Alligator		21 photos are shown.
	Recorded by: Travis McLain Dare Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Travis McLain Dare Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields Dare Co. Comment:	Recorded by: R. Evans, M.Windsor Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: K. Sanford, K. Haben Gates Co. Comment:	Recorded by: B. Godwin Robeson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Z. Lunn, D. Crilley, A. Carter, T. Garner Columbus Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Shields Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Shields Pender Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Erich Hofmann and Kayla Weinfurther Craven Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jane Wyche Gates Co. Comment:	Recorded by: R. Tomczak Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jane Wyche Gates Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Chuck Richardson Gates Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: E. Corey, LAWA Park Staff Columbus Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Jonathan Short Columbus Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Amy Bernhardt, Jonathan Short Columbus Co. Comment:	Recorded by: J. Davis, C. Williams New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: J. Mickey Gates Co. Comment:	Recorded by: K. Futch New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: J. Shimel New Hanover Co. Comment:

Alligator mississippiensis - American Alligator

Photo Gallery for Alligator mississippiensis - American Alligator

21 photos are shown.