Gators are animal changelings derived from the pre-Kingdom Come animal called an alligator (Alligator Alligatoridae). There are three types of Gators common in the region: Water-Gators (sometimes called Crocks), Land-Gators, and Dust-Gators. The three breeds share some similarities - they're all heavily-armored, low-slung ambush hunters, feeding on prey they attack by surprise. Gators are clever, but not exactly intelligent - they're very good at concealment and slow stalking, but not above "bright-animal" intelligence.
- Water-Gators (Crocks) lurk in watering holes and in streams, hiding beneath the surface of the turbid water waiting for prey to come to drink. When an animal gets in reach, the Crock will surge out of the water, grip its prey in an unbreakable hold, and drag it into the water to drown. The body will be dragged into a lair below the waterline to rot and soften, since the Crock's jaws are made for tearing not chewing. Once the corpse softens enough, the beast can tear chunks from it, which are then swallowed whole.
- Land-Gators lurk in low cover and employ hunting methods fairly similar to its marine relatives. The most common of the three breeds, Land-Gators sometimes hunt in small groups, where a smaller individual will offer a "spoiler attack" that causes the prey to jump back towards a larger individual who strikes the killing blow. Land-Gators are sometimes called "Hightails" for their posture of carrying their tail above the plane of their bodies as they attack. A Gator's tail is about half its length and is a solid club of armored muscle - a sideways flick of this appendage is usually enough to break any animal's legs, rendering it helpless to the beast's onslaught. Land-Gators have longer, more vertical legs than their cousins and can move surprisingly fast over land. They also climb, though they rarely drop onto prey to attack. (Only small ones will attempt that.)
- Dust-Gators are the rarest breed of the three. They inhabit the fine drifts of deep dust common on the plains of the Dust Lands, moving and hunting in a method very similar to Dust Worms. They share the worms' electrical abilities, but the two species don't happily share hunting grounds.
Tanned gator-skin is valued across the Shattered Earth, making excellent armor and extremely durable leather. The belly-skins of small gators are more supple, and are prized for shoes and other garments. Gator-hunting is a risky but sometimes profitable venture, though a distressing number of would-be hunters wind up prey instead.
