Passport to Texas

American alligator, image courtesy of www.exploreitnature.com

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Drought affects different species in different ways. In the case of the American Alligator, recent dry conditions have affected this once-threatened species’ reproduction.

15— What we found was the size of the clutch of eggs – or the number of eggs in the clutch – that females lay doesn’t change during drought years. But, the number of hatchlings that are produced from a clutch of eggs decreases substantially.

Cord Eversole is a graduate student at A&M-Kingsville and a research assistant at Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute. He studies gators.

12— We thought that what we were going to end up finding was during these drought years the clutch size would decrease, but the number of alligators produced from the clutch would stay constant across the years. We found the opposite.

He said turning old theories inside out is exciting.

26— The exciting thing about alligator research in general is that — believe it or not –there’s been very few studies conducted on them throughout their range, but more specifically in Texas, there’s only been a handful of studies conducted in the state. And so, a lot of the information we gather from my study and studies that are coming up in the future, they’re going to produce brand new information, put new twists on old thoughts of how things work with alligators in general.

The more we understand environmental effects on species like the American Alligator, the better able we are to manage them.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and funds diverse conservation projects throughout Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Cord Eversole with a small alligator.

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Tussling with alligators isn’t just for reality TV.

09— Typically, anything that’s under about seven feet in length, we capture from a boat. The real small ones, like the hatchlings, you can grab with your hand; they’re pretty harmless.

The bigger ones take more caution, finesse, and duct tape, says 25-year-old Cord Eversole, a graduate student at A&M-Kingsville.

09— We’re real fortunate to be able to be involved in a study looking at reproduction – in particular – and how drought affects hatching success of the eggs.

He studies the reptiles in his role as a research assistant at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute.

22— A large majority of our data was collected through mark/recapture, and so we tagged roughly 250 alligators at Brazos bend SP, and then captured [them] a year later, so that we could look at how much they had grown in a year’s time, and how the data that we gathered differs from data that was gathered in other parts of their range in the United States.

Thus far, his data reveals something rather unexpected. And we’ll hear about that tomorrow.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and funds diverse conservation projects throughout Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

American Alligator

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The American alligator is a large leathery reptile found in Texas. Once endangered, it has rebounded due to thoughtful conservation and management practices; but not everyone is happy about this.

05— The public generally has this exaggerated fear of alligators.

Cord Eversole is a grad student at A&M Kingsville, and studies alligators as a research assistant with the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute. He says reality TV shows sensationalize human/alligator encounters and feed public fear.

14— From that, whenever alligators turn up in residential areas or on the road, or public areas, they’re quick to call parks and Wildlife to try to come and remove these alligators whether the alligators are really posing a threat or not.

The animals travel from one wetland area to another in search of mates and – in the case of young males – territory. Eversole adds, although gators do not generally stay long in residential areas, we’ll likely see them more often.

09— The alligator population is expanding, but the amount of available habitat is decreasing. That’s why it’s becoming more and more of a problem through the years.

If you do find an alligator in your yard, use common sense and keep a safe distance, don’t feed them, but do enjoy them.

04— Enjoy the opportunity to be able to see them up close and in person.

If one becomes a nuisance or a threat, call Texas Parks and Wildlife. The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and funds diverse conservation projects throughout Texas. For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.