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American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World
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American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World Hardback - 2013

by Kelby Ouchley

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Reader reviews for American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World

From the publisher

"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 learned: human activities, from urban development to energy production, can still threaten the future of the gator and its southern wetland habitat.


From the rear cover

"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

Details

  • Title American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World
  • Author Kelby Ouchley
  • Binding Hardback
  • Pages 160
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher University Press of Florida, Tallahassee:
  • Publication date 2013-10-01
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Dust Cover, Illustrated, Index, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780813049137 / 081304913X
  • Weight 0.8 lbs (0.36 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.7 in (23.11 x 15.75 x 1.78 cm)
  • Category Animals
  • Library of Congress subjects American alligator, Alligators - North America
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2013020092
  • Dewey Decimal Code 597.984

Media reviews

Citations

  • Booklist, 09/15/2013, Page 11
  • Choice, 06/01/2014, Page 0

About the author

Kelby Ouchley is a retired biologist who spent thirty years managing alligators and their habitats for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He is the author of Flora and Fauna of the Civil War and Bayou-Diversity.

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American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World

American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World

by Ouchley, Kelby

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American Alligator : Ancient Predator in the Modern World
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American Alligator : Ancient Predator in the Modern World

by Ouchley, Kelby

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American Alligator : Ancient Predator in the Modern World
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American Alligator : Ancient Predator in the Modern World

by Ouchley, Kelby

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780813049137 / 081304913x
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University Press of Florida. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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American Alligator : Ancient Predator in the Modern World
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American Alligator : Ancient Predator in the Modern World

by Ouchley, Kelby

  • Used
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780813049137 / 081304913x
Quantity available
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Description:
University Press of Florida. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World
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American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World

by Ouchley, Kelby

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World

by Ouchley, Kelby

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American Alligator
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American Alligator

by Ouchley, Kelby,

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780813049137 / 081304913x
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American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World
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American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World

by Ouchley, Kelby

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  • Hardback
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780813049137 / 081304913X
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University Press of Florida, 2013-10-01. hardcover. New. 6.20x0.70x9.10. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
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American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World
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American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World

by Ouchley, Kelby

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  • Hardback
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Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780813049137 / 081304913X
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