The scientific name for alligators are Alligator mississippiensis. Alligators live in fresh water lakes and salt water. They prefer swamps and marshes. They do not have a high tolerance of salt water. Alligators need a high amount of prey, vegetation, and mud to survive. They like warm weather, however they can survive in freezing temperatures. They make burrows with their nose and tails. They can be up to 20 feet deep. They eat fish, insects, snails, worms, gar, turtles, various mammals, muskrats, birds, and deer.