An alligator, tiger cubs, and a dog named Satan — these are the weirdest presidential pets in history

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Many of the 45 presidents of the United States have been animal lovers, with pet choices far beyond the ordinary run of cats and dogs.
Some were given exotic pets by foreign dignitaries, with President John Quincy Adams keeping an alligator in a bathtub.
President Martin van Buren fought Congress to keep two tiger cubs.
Other presidents have bought farmyard animals to live on the grounds of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: Woodrow Wilson had a flock of sheep, and JFK's daughter had a pony.
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Many of the residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue have been animal lovers, with the hallowed presidential tradition of keeping a pet in the White House stretching back to its very first occupant, John Adams.

The most popular pet by some way is a dog, owned by 30 of the 45 presidents.

Some have even gone on to be famous in their own right — Barack Obama's dog Bo was a frequent star of White House photo ops.

But some presidents have brought somewhat more exotic pets with them to the White House, with Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge owning a large menageries during their times.

Below, Business Insider looks at seven of the strangest.

A dog named Satan

Wikimedia Commons

Ok, so the choice of pet itself isn't exactly unusual. But the name certainly is.

John Adams was the second US president, but the first to reside in the White House. He brought his collection of creatively named pets with him.

Among them were a pair of mongrel dogs named Juno and Satan, and a horse named Cleopatra.

The reason for the president chosing that name for his dog is lost to history.

Source: Presidential Pet Museum

An alligator in the bath tub

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During an 1825 tour of the United States, French revolutionary hero the Marquis de Lafayette visited the White House.

He had an unusual gift for then president John Quincy Adams: an alligator.

Adams decided to lodge the reptile in the then-unfinished East Room of the White House, which had its own bath tub.

According to White House legend he would freak out unsuspecting visitors on tours of the residence by showing them into the room with the alligator.

Source: Presidential Pet Museum, CNN

A foul-mouthed parrot called Poll

Library Of Congress/Getty Images

President Andrew Jackson was an ex-soldier born in a Tennessee log cabin, known for his love of swearing.

When he was elected president in 1830 he brought his pet parrot, Poll, with him — and it seems the bird picked up some of the president's own salty vocabulary.

According to contemporary accounts, at Jackson's own funeral service at the family residence the bird started loudly shrieking swear words so offensive it had to be taken away.

Source: Presidential Pet Museum

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