Fourth tooth on each side of lower jaw is hidden when mouth is closed. Young are black with yellowish cross-bars.
Mature alligators are coal black when wet, dark grey when dry.
Males are 11 to 12 feet long and weight 450-550 pounds. Females are no longer than 9 feet and weigh about 160 pounds. Record length is 20 feet. North Carolina to Florida Keys and west to central Texas. When given protection, alligators prosper and soon reoccupy areas where they have long been absent.