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Growth rates of American alligators in estuarine and palustrine wetlands in Louisiana

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Abstract

A comparative study of American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) growth rates was made in estuarine and palustrine wetlands in southwestern Louisiana. In the estuarine wetlands, where characteristic salinity levels were ≤5%, alligators grew faster and therefore reached sexual maturity earlier than did those in palustrine wetlands, which are characterized by shallow, freshwater marsh vegetation. Slower growth rates in palustrine wetlands appeared to be related to prey density, indicated by previous studies to be lower than in estuarine wetlands. Males grew faster than females and therefore reached sexual maturity at an earlier age in both habitats. This study revealed a major limitation in using total lengths as an index upon which population age structure can be based even when alligators are in the same geographic region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, Louisiana States University Agricultural Center, 70803, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

    Williams L. Rootes & Robert H. Chabreck

  2. Department of Experimental Statistics, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, 70803, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

    Vernon L. Wright

  3. United States Fish and Wildlife Service HCR 63, Box 186, 70549, Lake Arthur, Louisiana

    Bobby W. Brown

  4. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Route 1, Box 20-B, 70643, Grand Chenier, Louisiana

    Thomas J. Hess

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  1. Williams L. Rootes
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  2. Robert H. Chabreck
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  3. Vernon L. Wright
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  4. Bobby W. Brown
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  5. Thomas J. Hess
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Rootes, W.L., Chabreck, R.H., Wright, V.L. et al. Growth rates of American alligators in estuarine and palustrine wetlands in Louisiana. Estuaries 14, 489–494 (1991). https://doi.org/10.2307/1352272

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1352272

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