[7] The full genome, published in 2014, suggests that the alligator evolved much more slowly than mammals and birds.

[15][16] Another one of the oldest lives on record is that of Muja, an American alligator who was brought as an adult specimen to the Belgrade Zoo in Serbia from Germany in 1937.

Although no valid records exist about his date of birth, as of 2012, he was in his 80s and possibly the oldest alligator living in captivity.

[19][20] American alligators are found in the southeast United States: all of Florida and Louisiana; the southern parts of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi; coastal South and North Carolina; East Texas, the southeast corner of Oklahoma, and the southern tip of Arkansas.

[22][23] American alligators live in freshwater environments, such as ponds, marshes, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and swamps, as well as in brackish water.

[24] When they construct alligator holes in the wetlands, they increase plant diversity and provide habitat for other animals during droughts.

[26] Farther west, in Louisiana, heavy grazing by nutrias and muskrats is causing severe damage to coastal wetlands.

[27] The Chinese alligator currently is found in only the Yangtze River valley and parts of adjacent provinces[20] and is extremely endangered, with only a few dozen believed to be left in the wild.

Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in southern Louisiana has several in captivity in an attempt to preserve the species.

The sprawl is a forward movement with the belly making contact with the ground and is used to transition to "high walk" or to slither over wet substrate into water.

Alligators' main prey are smaller animals they can kill and eat with a single bite.

Critical to the alligator's ability to initiate a death roll, the tail must flex to a significant angle relative to its body.

It is common to use several wraps of duct tape to prevent an adult alligator from opening its jaws when being handled or transported.

In some cases, larger alligators are known to ambush dogs, Florida panthers, and black bears, making them the apex predator throughout their distribution.

In this role as a top predator, it may determine the abundance of prey species, including turtles and nutrias.

Alligators, unlike the large crocodiles, do not immediately regard a human upon encounter as prey, but may still attack in self-defense if provoked.

[citation needed] Alligators, much like birds, have been shown to exhibit unidirectional movement of air through their lungs.

For a tidal breathing animal, such as a mammal, air flows into and out of the lungs through branching bronchi which terminate in small dead-end chambers called alveoli.

[45] The alligator has a similar digestive system to that of the crocodile, with minor differences in morphology and enzyme activity.

It is believed this portion of the stomach serves a similar function as it does in the gizzard of some species of birds, to aid in digestion.

The gastroliths work to grind up the meal as alligators will take large bites or swallow smaller prey whole.

This process makes digestion and nutrient absorption easier once the food reaches the second portion of the stomach.

The right to left shunt of the heart in alligators means the circulatory system will recirculate blood through the body instead of back to the lungs.

These microorganisms can be found in the high surface area of the mucosa folds of the intestines, as well as throughout the digestive tract.

[58] Alligators are raised commercially for their meat and their skin, which when tanned is used for the manufacture of luggage, handbags, shoes, belts, and other leather items.