Florida's State Reptile: The American Alligator

About this episode

This episode discusses the importance of the American Alligator in Florida's ecosystems and how to coexist with them.

Florida is known for having alligators, a fact that brings fear to many visitors and residents. But, alligators are an important species in many of our ecosystems. While we continue to develop the State, our chances of encountering an alligator increase, but there are many ways we can learn to coexist with them. Celebrate Earth Month with us as we revisit a favorite topic from season 1 with a freshly re-edited Alligator episode. Learn more: Living with Alligators: a Florida Reality: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/uw230 Watch an 8ft+ alligator climb a 6ft fence: https://youtu.be/z7DMjQJD7v M ( ABC Channel 6, WATE ) Information on alligator hunting in Florida (FWC) - https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/alligator/harvest/hunt-guide/ How You Can Help: Never feed an alligator - If you suspect anyone of feeding alligators, intentionally or not, please consider reporting it to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). You will not get anyone in trouble! The 1st offense is a warning and education visit. Call the wildlife alert hotline: 888-404-FWCC (3922). Cell phone users in Florida can dial *FWC or #FWC, depending on the service provider. Sources for this…

People in this episode

Hosts: Shannon Carnevale, Lara Milligan

Topics covered

• American Alligator
• coexistence with wildlife
• Florida ecosystems
• Earth Month
• wildlife conservation

Keywords

• alligator
• Florida
• wildlife
• ecosystem
• coexistence
• Earth Month
• conservation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, ABC Channel 6

Books & works: Managing Conflicts with Wildlife: Living with Alligators, Living with Alligators: A Florida Reality

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