When the beautiful red pandas left the Reid Park Zoo to go to their forever homes, I think that a lot of Tucsonans were upset. The duo was fluffy, adorable and entertaining to watch, but we understood they had to leave for Utah as the summer would just be too hot for them here.

Luckily, we didn’t have to wait long before another fun, interesting creature was added to the zoo. While it may not be everybody’s cup of tea, Reid Park has now welcomed a nine-foot American alligator from Waco, Texas. The 25-years old male finally arrived on Wednesday, April 4th. He is the first alligator to be a part of the Reid Park Zoo in over 30 years!

Now I know what you’re probably thinking – didn’t they already have alligators there? Well, those tiny creatures hanging out on the rocks by the fish were actually caiman (or cayman). They are very closely related to alligators and crocodiles, but aren’t exactly the same. The main difference between them is their snout. Otherwise, it’s rather difficult to tell the difference between the three.

So if you’re looking for something to do this weekend, why not visit Reid Park’s new alligator and give him a warm welcome to Arizona? You can visit him in his brand new enclosure from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M., Monday through Sunday.