Alligator

A green scaly reptile with sharp teeth and spikes similar to a crocodile native to North America and China, that lives in swamps and brackish streams from Florida in the South to North Carolina in the North and, more recently, Southeastern Virginia in the Great Dismal Swamp near Virginia Beach. The alligator is also my favorite animal. I have a plush green alligator named Leah and several Lego alligator mini-figures. Alligators are a common theme among Mardi Gras souvenirs and somewhat synonymous with the state of Florida, although they are a common staple and mentioned often in Louisiana culture too. A man known as Tommy Woodward stood on the edge of a pond outside a restaurant in Texas and swore at alligators; thereafter jumping in the water before disappearing. Smart people avoid swimming in water where alligators live, though alligators very rarely attack people unprovoked. Still, it's always best to be safe.