American Alligator  Alligator mississippiensis Not Your Average Housepet! The American Alligator or Alligator Missisippiensis is by far the most popular of the crocidilians. Alligators can reach a length of over 12' in the wild, but seldom exceed 8'-10' in captivity. Out of all crocidilians the "gator" is usually the most mild mannered, providing it has received positive human attention over the years. Unfortunately way too many Alligators are bought on impulse. "Oh, what a cute little gator" is what goes through many minds. Most don't take into account the adult size or the space required to keep one. I know of one shop that sold over 100 gators in a period of two months. They also currently have about 10 1/2 grown gators people have turned back in realizing they had made a mistake. Zoos receive many donated pets, but haven't the space to adopt the gators. I personally enjoy owning a gator, but have also realized it takes a lot of time and space. So if you have the space, time, money, and long time devotion, buy one.