Alligators are apex predators (top carnivore), one that has popularized popular culture and frequently appears on the news, typically attached to a crazy story coming out of Florida. Alligators appear in multiple places around the continental United States, but they're most predominantly known for living in Florida because of the Everglades and many swamps.

The word “alligator” comes from the Spanish word for lizard, el lagarto, which is the term the early settlers of Florida used when they first encountered them.

Gators don't stay confined to the swampy areas. They can be found roaming pretty much all over the state. You might see an alligator swimming in a puddle at a crowded intersection or even visiting your neighbor's swimming pool.

Alligators are not naturally aggressive toward humans. Alligator-on-human attacks are somewhat frequent, more so than other predators such as sharks, because alligators have grown increasingly bold in where they venture.

Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do about an alligator that crawls into your house through the kitchen window. If you tread on one in the dark, well, yes, they may attack. In general, as long as you stay clear of them and don't go swimming in their home or get close to their nests, you should be fine. Be mindful of where they are located at all times.

It is estimated that there are around 1.3 million alligators in Florida. With so many of these predators roaming around, one might anticipate fatal alligator attacks are a regular occurrence. In truth, they aren't. As of 2016 , there had been 23 unprovoked fatal attacks.

Alligators are all over the place in Florida, it's not uncommon to find displaced gators on the roads, in local swimming pools, and even in your backyard.

They are surprisingly agile creatures. It's not at all uncommon to catch alligators scaling fences. Usually, they scale fences because they're trying to get to a body of water, such as someone's swimming pool.

Alligators live an average of 35-50 years in the wild. They have been known to live 60-80 years in human care.

Mating season is mid-April through May and alligators have a heightened aggression during this time. The female will build a nest in the vegetation in or around the water and lay a clutch of 20-50 eggs. Incubation is 60-65 days and hatchlings will stay with the mother for up to 2 years.

Female alligators are fiercely protective of the nest and hatchlings and are especially dangerous. The temperature in the nest determines sex of the offspring. Temperatures above 93 degrees will produce males while temperatures of 86 degrees and below produce females.

Parts of the alligator such as the hide and meat are sold from alligators that are legally harvested. Back in 2014, the meat and hide from these gators had a net worth of $6.8 million from over 7,000 alligators harvested.

There’s been a yearly harvest since back in 1988, and it’s an internationally and nationally recognized program for sustainable use of the natural resource.