AMERICAN ALLIGATOR Alligator mississippiensis (Daudin) 



Order: CROCODILIA Family: CROCODYLIDAE 



Distinguishing characteristics : Huge, roughbacked reptile with a broad rounded snout; 

 fourth tooth on lower jaw fits into notch in upper jaw . 



Present distribution : On Atlantic coastal plain from Tyrrel County, North Carolma, to 

 Corpus Christi, Texas; north in Mississippi drainage to Arkansas and southeastern 

 Oklahoma . 



Former distribution : As above, but to Rio Grande in Texas. 



Status : Jeopardized by heavy poaching , which has been reduced by increased State 

 enforcement and new Federal laws . Efforts to reopen seasons and to permit sale of 

 hides are underway in several States . 



Estimated numbers : The 1970 Censuses of alligators receiving Federal protection either 

 in wildlife refuges or the Everglades National Park show the following: South Carolina, 

 1,030; Florida, 36,740; Georgia, 9,650; Mississippi, 165; Louisiana, 4,460; Texas, 120; 

 for a total of 52,165 alligators. 



Breeding rate in the wild : Once a year; 15 to 85 eggs per nesting female. 



Reasons for decline : Heavy poaching by collectors of commercial skins; destruction of 

 habitat; young heavily subject to predator and human pressure. 



Protective measures already taken : Federal law prohibits shipment of alligators, their 

 hides, and hide products across State lines. Protected by law in every State where 

 found except Texas; in Texas six counties have established protective legislation. 

 Florida spends about $300,000 a year on alligator law enforcement; Louisiana now spends 

 $100,000 a year for enforcement, research, and sanctuary care (Alligator Council, 1968). 

 The city of New York and the State of California have passed regulations prohibiting 

 trade in alligator skins . 



Measures proposed : The American Alligator Council, made up of individuals interested 

 in the protection and survival of the alligator, indicated in 1968 the following measures 

 as desirable: (1) Elimination of markets for alligator hides, (2) provision of additional 

 funds for law enforcement, (3) increase in education of public concerning problem, 

 (5) establishment of central clearing house for information on alligators, (6) increase 

 in basic research on biology of species, and (7) strengthened legislation on local and 

 national levels. 



Number in captivity : Probably thousands. The alligator farm in BuenaPark, California, 

 alone, probably has several thousand. There are 35 registered alligator farmers in 

 Louisiana; Florida has many so-called "farms." These farms are usually only holding 

 pens for animals captured in the wild, and the alligator is not yet truly farmed in the 

 sense of breeding, hatching, and raising individuals to a size suitable for sale or 

 skinning . The latter may soon be achieved in refuge areas where successful cropping 

 of wild populations will soon be appropriate, both for restocking depleted areas and for 

 skins . 



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