What does sleeping alligator mean?

When the three lines are intertwined, the market is ranging/consolidating. Avoid trading until the alligator "awakens" with separating lines.

Key Takeaways

Difficulty:Intermediate

Reliability:High

Category:advanced

Timeframes:1H, 4H, Daily

Williams Alligator

advanced📊 1H, 4H, Daily

Three smoothed moving averages representing Jaw, Teeth, and Lips, showing trend phases.

Formula

Code

Jaw = SMMA(13, 8 bars ahead)

Teeth = SMMA(8, 5 bars ahead)

Lips = SMMA(5, 3 bars ahead)

Detailed Explanation

The Alligator was created by Bill Williams to help identify trends and non-trending periods.

Components:
- Jaw (Blue): 13-period SMMA, shifted 8 bars
- Teeth (Red): 8-period SMMA, shifted 5 bars
- Lips (Green): 5-period SMMA, shifted 3 bars

Trading Setup Example

Entry, stop loss, and take profit levels.

📈 Buy Setup

📉 Sell Setup

Always wait for signal confirmation before entering a trade.

Where This Indicator Works Best

Trend context and market position.

📈 Bullish Context

📉 Bearish Context

Requires advanced market analysis.

Live Chart — Williams Alligator

See Williams Alligator in action on a live chart. Try changing the settings and timeframe.

Williams Alligator is a manual drawing tool or chart type and cannot be auto-overlaid as a study.

Open Chart on TradingView

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Parameters

Jaw Period

Default: 13

Jaw smoothing

Teeth Period

Default: 8

Teeth smoothing

Lips Period

Default: 5

Lips smoothing

📈 Bullish Signals

Lips > Teeth > Jaw with upward slopes

📉 Bearish Signals

Lips < Teeth < Jaw with downward slopes

Python Implementation

Alligator indicator calculation

Python

def smma(series, period):

return series.ewm(alpha=1/period, adjust=False).mean()

df['Jaw'] = smma(df['high'] + df['low'], 13).shift(8) / 2

df['Teeth'] = smma(df['high'] + df['low'], 8).shift(5) / 2

df['Lips'] = smma(df['high'] + df['low'], 5).shift(3) / 2

TradingView Pine Script

Try on TradingView

JavaScript

//@version=5

indicator("Alligator", overlay=true)

[jaw, teeth, lips] = ta.alligator(hl2, 13, 8, 8, 5, 5, 3)

plot(jaw, "Jaw", color=color.blue)

plot(teeth, "Teeth", color=color.red)

plot(lips, "Lips", color=color.green)

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MT5 MQL5 Code

C++

int alligator_handle = iAlligator(_Symbol, _Period, 13, 8, 8, 5, 5, 3, MODE_SMMA, PRICE_MEDIAN);

double jaw[], teeth[], lips[];

CopyBuffer(alligator_handle, 0, 0, 100, jaw);

CopyBuffer(alligator_handle, 1, 0, 100, teeth);

CopyBuffer(alligator_handle, 2, 0, 100, lips);

Python Libraries

pandas

Data analysis

pip install pandas

Common Mistakes

✗Trading when lines are intertwined

✗Ignoring early awakening signals

Confirmation Signals

Fractal signals

Awesome Oscillator

Price action

Best For

Trend identificationBill Williams strategiesRanging vs trending markets

💡 Pro Tips

•Part of Bill Williams trading system
•Sleeping alligator = don't trade
•Awakening signals trend beginning

Last updated: February 8, 2026

Educational Disclaimer

This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Trading involves significant risk and you may lose your capital. Always consult a licensed financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Learn More

Investopedia - Technical Indicators— Financial Education BabyPips - Technical Indicators— Trading School MetaTrader 5 Docs— Official Documentation

Frequently Asked Questions

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