American Alligator - Endangered Species Coalition (2024)

FAQs

Why are American alligators still on the endangered species list? ›

The main threat facing the American alligator is the destruction and degradation of wetland habitat. Destruction of wetlands frequently occurs in association with human development.

In 1967 it was listed as an endangered species throughout its range in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas.

American alligators are currently listed as least concern by the IUCN Red List, even though from the 1800s to the mid-1900s, they were being hunted and poached by humans unsustainably.

Alligator numbers are maintained through sustainable management programs in Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Texas, and South Carolina, with various combinations of farming, ranching, and harvesting of wild animals, including the take of nuisance animals.

As alligators move from gator holes to nesting mounds, they help keep areas of open water free of invading vegetation. Without these ecosystem services, freshwater ponds and shrubs and trees would fill in coastal wetlands in the alligator's habitat, and dozens of species would disappear.

The species was granted federal protection soon after, in 1966. These measures paid off: today there are an estimated 5 million American alligators thriving once again in the southeastern United States. Explore more stories from the full Conservation Comeback series now.

Over hunting for their skins, combined with habitat changes, led to a serious decline in their population. In 1967, the American alligator was listed as an endangered species. After twenty years of federal protection, the alligator numbers made a successful recovery and is no longer considered an endangered species.

Louisiana and Florida have the largest alligator populations—there are more than one million wild alligators in each state. Although alligators can be found in ponds, lakes, canals, rivers, swamps, and bayous in Louisiana, they are most common in our coastal marshes.

How Common Are Alligator Attack Instances? The FWC has kept a record of “unprovoked bite incidents” since 1948 and reports that, between then and November 2021, there were only 442 alligator attacks. Only 26 of those resulted in human fatalities. The average is currently about seven alligator attacks per year.

Salinity is a limiting factor for the distribution and abundance of alligators in coastal areas of the Everglades. Freshwater flow into estuaries directly affects locations of alligators, most of which are found in areas of lowest salinity.

Why are American alligators a keystone species? ›

Keystone species are often identified in part, if not in full, by their eating habits. High level predators can sometimes heavily modify their surroundings by their food consumption alone. The American alligator is a high level (apex) predator which consumes a LOT of other animals in great variety of abundance.

Even though they are no longer endangered, it is important to reflect on this ESA success story so we can help alligators continue to thrive.

Alligators live in the wetlands of the southern United States. The reptiles were hunted close to extinction. After they were listed under the Endangered Species Act, hunting was prohibited and their habitat was protected. The species has made a dramatic recovery and was removed from the endangered species list in 1987.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts sought and received a Target Harvest Area permit from the Florida commission that allows it to “work directly with a designated FWC-contracted nuisance alligator trapper to remove … alligators from the property.” That's when the captures grew.

The darker skin and broader snout of the American alligator distinguish it from the American crocodile, shown above. Alligators are more numerous in Florida than crocodiles, are darker, have a broader snout, and are typically found in freshwater habitats.

Presently, illegal hunting and habitat destruction are the main threats to the crocodile population (Florida Museum of Natural History, n.d.). Habitat destruction occurs in different ways, but the main threat has been humans developing in crocodile habitat.

Alligators are considered “keystone species”, a species that helps to fashion its environment and influence the types of species that live there. Alligators perform necessary services like providing fresh water for other wildlife to drink during droughts by digging “gator holes” that bring groundwater to the surface.

Over hunting for their skins, combined with habitat changes, led to a serious decline in their population. In 1967, the American alligator was listed as an endangered species. After twenty years of federal protection, the alligator numbers made a successful recovery and is no longer considered an endangered species.

In Florida, where there is the greatest alligator population, there have been several reported deaths due to alligator attacks in recent years and human-alligator conflicts are common. Dogs and other pets are also sometimes killed. Alligators are hunted mostly for their skin, but also they are hunted for their meat.