We can all agree that pets are adorable beings who can easily boost our mood and make our days better. Even more so when you return home from work to find them eager to play and cuddle, hopefully without turning the house upside down.

With 63.4 million families owning dogs and 42.7 million households owning cats, it goes without saying that cats and dogs are far and away the most common choices. Some surprises await you if you look closer at these numbers. What about the 5.4 million homes that welcome tiny animals into their lives? 4.5 million families with reptiles as pets, perhaps?

State-specific regulations on exotic pet ownership exist. The majority of wild creatures shouldn’t be kept in captivity, but that hasn’t stopped people who enjoy exotic pets from lawfully owning everything from ferrets and foxes to more deadly animals like alligators, bears, and tigers.

Here is a list of animals we are surprised are legal to own as pets in the US.