It has been introduced to Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the United States,[1] the later in which it is sometimes mislabeled as the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis).[4] Invasive populations have become established in South Florida, with isolated records further north in the state.[5] It is intolerant to cold climates, so its range is unlikely to expand to further north than Florida.[23] It usually lives in forests, inland bodies of fresh water (such as wetlands and rivers), grasslands, shrublands, and savannas, but is very adaptable.[1] It prefers habitats with calm water containing floating vegetation, usually flooding and drying seasonally.