Alligators

The genus Alligator holds just two living species: the American alligator and the smaller Chinese alligator — semi-aquatic predators of the family Alligatoridae. Both are hunted and farmed, in free-range wetlands or indoor systems, for meat and for skins destined for luxury leather. Alligator meat is lean and mild, handled under the same exotic-meat disciplines as other reptile products: inspected slaughter, rapid chilling, and thorough cooking to manage the Salmonella risk that reptiles inherently carry. Farming has turned a conservation success story into a controlled livestock sector supplying meat and hides.