Mounds may be two feet high and contain 30 to 50 eggs. The female will guard the nest until the young are ready to hatch. Incubation lasts from 60 to 70 days. The young can grow a foot or more each year for several years. Both adults and young feed on a variety of animals, including fish, turtles, and other aquatic organisms.
Alligators inhabit rivers, swamps, estuaries, lakes, and marshes.
Alligators are found throughout the southeastern United States, from North Carolina to Texas. Oklahoma represents the northwestern most reaches of their range. The historic distribution in Oklahoma was limited to the Red River and Little River drainages in southeastern Oklahoma. Currently, alligators are considered to be an occasional visitor along the Red River in McCurtain County. The young are at high risk from predation and human disturbance.