Alligators have a bad reputation as man-eaters, but alligators are not all that dangerous. They have been confused with crocodiles, which ARE often man-eaters. Alligators mainly eat small animals and fish. They can hold their breath for an hour or longer, and spend most of the time motionless, waiting for a small animal to walk by.
But it's still not a good idea to get in the water with alligators, because they will defend their babies. And even an accidental bite can be painful with all those teeth!
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True or false: Most lizards are poisonous?
 False. In fact, only two lizards are poisonous.
The gila monster pictured above is one of only two poisonous lizards in the world. Both live in North America in southwest USA and in Mexico. Although they rarely bite a human, their venom is quite strong, and death is possible.
Snakes are also reptiles, and that is why you don't see them in the winter time. They hide deep underground to stay warm.
The rattle snake is the most famous North American snake. But rattle snakes don't want to attack people. They are afraid of people, because we are so big.
Rattle snakes even shake their rattles (on the end of their tails) to warn us if we are getting too close. In this way, they are the same as the poisonous South American tree frogs. They are saying, "Look at me! I'm dangerous! Stay away!" If they WANTED to bite us, they would remain very quiet.
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