Generally speaking, alligator dreams tend to be associated with one of two themes: harsh criticism and having a thick skin.

According to dream analyst Laura Loewenberg, dreams about alligators are common, and she has them often. “On the other hand, any creature in a dream that has a big mouth, sharp teeth, and is known to bite, like alligators or even sharks, is more likely to be associated with criticism and scathing remarks in real life,” she says. . mindbodygreen.

Criticism aside, alligators literally have thick skin, so she notes that sometimes these dreams have to do with how you pen criticism (like whether your skin is “thick enough”).

“So you might see an alligator in your dream when someone is ‘biting your head off,’ so to speak, or if they’re saying emotionally hurtful things, snapping at you—all of these terms we use for sharp remarks that resemble bites,” Levenberg explains. .

But of course, context always matters, and she adds that if you have personal associations with alligators, or even the places where they come from (like Florida or Louisiana), alligators can come up as reminders of those personal associations.