American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World

by Kelby Ouchley

“From prehistoric relatives to post-endangered status, Ouchley provides a comprehensive review of the alligator, an iconic southern creature.”—Michael K. Steinberg, author of Stalking the Ghost Bird   “The conservation of the American alligator is one of history’s best examples of the sustainable-use model for wildlife conservation. The effort to preserve the alligator has contributed to the conservation of wetlands and many other wetland-dependent species throughout its range. Ouchley does an outstanding job of explaining the mysteries of this keystone species.”—Robert Barham, Secretary of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries   “Kelby Ouchley is part of a generation of wildlife professionals that helped bring the American alligator back from the brink of extinction. He provides fascinating insights into its fight for survival.”—Jim Kurth, Chief of National Wildlife Refuge System, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Having survived since the Mesozoic era, alligators teetered on the brink of extinction in the 1960s. Their recovery in the 1970s and 1980s was largely due to legislative intervention, and today populations are closely monitored throughout their range. American Alligator is the most up-to-date and comprehensive treatment of this resilient relic, a creature with a brain weighing less than half an ounce that has successfully adapted to a changing Earth for more than 200 million years.          
Kelby Ouchley chronicles the evolution of Alligator mississippiensis from “shieldcroc”—the last common ancestor of modern-day alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and the gharial—to its current role as keystone of the ecological health of America’s southern swamps and marshes. In Florida, the apex predator uses its snout and feet to clear muck from holes in the limestone bedrock. During the dry season, these small ponds or “alligator holes” provide refuge, food, and water for a variety of wildlife. In Louisiana, millions of dollars are spent on the bounty of the non-native nutria that overgraze marsh vegetation, but alligators prey on these coastal rodents free of charge.

Today only twenty-three species of crocodilians remain. That the alligator lineage survives at all, having successfully weathered millions of years of environmental change, speaks to an impressive degree of fitness and adaptability.

The loss of the American alligator would be a blow to biodiversity and an ecosystem disruption affecting all levels of the food chain. While the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed it from the endangered species list in 1987 and today regulates the legal trade of the animal and its products, Ouchley cautions us not to forget the lessons human activities, from urban development to energy production, can still threaten the future of the gator and its southern wetland habitat.  

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, Animals

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Kelby Ouchley is a naturalist and managed National Wildlife Refuges for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 30 years. His first book, "Flora and Fauna of the Civil War: An Environmental Reference Guide," was published by LSU Press in 2010. A collection of his essays, "Bayou-Diversity: Nature and People in the Louisiana Bayou Country," will be released by LSU Press in October 2011. His first novel, "Iron Branch: A Civil War Tale of a Woman In-Between," is availalbe for Kindle and other e-readers. Since 1995, Kelby has written and narrated a weekly conservation-related program for KEDM 90.3 FM, the public radio station that serves the Ark-La-Miss area. He has been awarded the Louisiana Governor's Conservationist of the Year Award. Kelby and his wife, Amy, live in the woods in Rocky Branch, Louisiana, in a cypress house surrounded by white oaks and black hickories.

Reviews

[Robert Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMERICAN ALLIGATOR by Kelby Ouchley is an excellent book for the reader who wants something about the alligator that is at once accurate, fairly detailed, but not overly technical. Kelby Ouchley wrote AMERICAN ALLIGATOR for someone who is interested in the topic but not a biologist or other professional. He covers the evolution of the alligator, briefly tells about its relatives, and deals with the species from the first human contact with it to modern times. Well documented but completely readable, Kelby’s Ouchley’s book AMERICAN ALLIGATOR is one I can recommend without hesitation.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had not thought about alligators much before I read this book. I liked reading about the different hunting regulations that are in place in states where alligators reside. i also liked reading about alligator farms. I never knew that alligators could be raised on farms. I surprised me that alligators are cannibals. I mean if they eat pretty much anything why would it surprise me that they eat other American alligators.
For a short book I thought American Alligator hat a lot of interesting information about the American Alligator. I enjoyed it.
After finishing books I often wish I could remember more of what i read but, I can't remember everything. To bad.

[Zane · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was a little clunky in places, and certain jumps within paragraphs/sections didn't make much sense to me. There were also areas where things were mentioned that I wish were expanded upon, but were instead skipped over to go to something completely different. So disappointing in that regard, but still--it taught me some things about alligators I never knew before.

[Gary Ujifusa · Rating 3 out of 5]

You’ll learn all about the American Alligator. Straight forward, academic, not exactly engaging reading for me but it’s a short book.