An American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) stands on alert along the banks of a large pond in the Florida Everglades. Alligators eat a wide variety of foods including insects, crabs, crayfish, fish, frogs, snails, turtles, snakes, coots, grebes, wading birds, raccoons, otters, deer, and even other alligators. They can, however, go months without feeding. Since they are cold-blooded, they do not need to expend energy regulating their body temperature.