American alligators are by far the most widespread and familiar crocodilian to most U.S. citizens. They occur in a variety of wet habitats from North Carolina to Florida, west to central Texas and north to Arkansas. Encounters with alligators at farms and tourist exhibits accounts for most peoples’ experiences, but over such a large natural range, numerous people have also faced them in the wild. Lurid accounts of attacks sprinkle the pages of books and newspapers, but the danger of an actual attack realistically should rate just above being sucked up by a tornado or being crushed by a falling meteorite. In other words, alligators seldom attack humans except under unusual circumstances. Unfortunately, one of those circumstances is when alligators lose their fear of humans after being fed repeatedly. Gators soon lose their natural caution and approach a “hand out.” For this reason, it is unlawful to feed alligators.