Does alligators like col water or warm water?

Although the American Alligator can tolerate cooler water temperatures than the American Crocodile (i.e., down to at least 45 F), they prefer warmer waters, and do not live in regions where the water freezes. For this reason, their natural range is restricted to the warm southeastern coastal states of the United States, from southeastern Texas to eastern North Carolina. The only two landlocked states where alligators are found are Arkansas and Oklahoma; in Arkansas, they are native to the Red River region in the southwestern corner of the state, while in Oklahoma they are restricted to McCurtain County, in Oklahoma's extreme southeast corner. Philip T.