Misunderstandings and the importance of Alligators in SWF

Alligators, in varying forms, have survived since the age of the dinosaurs and through extreme planetary and temperate differences.  They are one of the oldest and most powerful creatures on the planet but are now facing their biggest challenge.  Humans are taking over their natural habitats because they like the warmer weather.  The alligator is one out twenty five crocodilians in the world.  One common misconception about the alligator, that I also thought wrong, was that alligators aren’t green.  They are a combination of black, grey, and brown.  They just appear green because algae, vegetation or duck grass is covering them. 

One of the scarier facts I learned was that nearly all of the fatal alligator attacks have been in Florida.  I believe this is because this is one of the areas they thrive the most; and it is also one of the most over populated areas by humans.  We are literally building and moving onto their homes and they are attacking in order to protect themselves and where they live.  The American alligators are extremely important for the ecosystems in which they occur. Their nesting activities create peat and species, such as the Florida Red-bellied turtle, to keep their eggs inside alligator nests. By making alligator holes, the alligator helps a lot of animals to survive the dry season. Alligators also keep other predatory species in check.  

Many people ignore Alligators benefits to the environment because they are territorial, and they can and will eat just about anything that has meat on it.  Alligators have the capability to live up to 80 years in captivity and have so many ecological benefits that they are considered to be a keystone species.  This is because: it regulates animal pollution by being able to eat basically any prey, they dig holes in the dry season to provide irrigation, nesting birds use their presence as a place to lay eggs away from raccoons, turtles lay their eggs in alligator nests, and more.  Alligators are also highly important for our economy.   Their commercial use has made a lot of money in tourism and business.  And they have been a cultural influence because of their use in movies and as mascots.