Alligators

Allan R. Woodward

Alligator Research Biologist Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission Gainesville, Florida 32601
Dennis N. David

ALLIGATORS

Alligator Management Section Leader Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission Gainesville, Florida 32601

Fig. 1. American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis

Damage Prevention and Control Methods
Exclusion

Toxicants

Identification
The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis, Fig. 1) is the most common of two crocodilians native to the United States and is one of 22 crocodilian species worldwide. The other native crocodilian is the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus). Caimans (Caiman spp.), imported from Central and South America, are occasionally released in the United States and can survive and reproduce in Florida. The American alligator is distinguished from the American crocodile and caiman by its more rounded snout and black and yellow-white coloration. American crocodiles and caimans are olive-brown in color and have more pointed snouts. American alligators and crocodiles are similar in physical size, whereas caimans are 40% smaller.

None are registered.
Fumigants

Bulkheads along edges of lakes and waterways. Wire mesh fences.
Habitat Modification

None are registered.
Trapping

Baited hooks and trip-snare traps are most effective.
Shooting

Minimize emergent vegetation. Drain ponds and borrow pits where appropriate and permitted.
Frightening

Hunt during the day or night with rifles or crossbows.
Other Methods

Prodding or other harassment can increase wariness. Hunting pressure increases wariness and avoidance of people.
Repellents

Hunt with detachable-head harpoons or handheld, breakaway pole snares. Capture with snatch hooks or tongs.

None are registered.
PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF WILDLIFE DAMAGE — 1994
Cooperative Extension Division Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Nebraska - Lincoln United States Department of