Determinate Growth and Reproductive Lifespan in the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis): Evidence from Long-term Recaptures

Abstract

The perception that crocodilians exhibit indeterminate growth is common in the general reptilian literature. However, this assumption is frequently based on observations of immature and young adult animals and therefore lacks a complete understanding of adult growth patterns. Long-term mark-recapture studies appear to be the most certain method of determining growth patterns of adult crocodilians. From 1979–2015, we conducted a mark-recapture study of an American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) population on the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center (YWC) in coastal South Carolina to examine long-term growth patterns and the influence of age on multiple reproductive parameters. We found no discernible linear growth in 19 of 31 adult female and 7 of 19 adult male alligators over periods of 5–33 years. The mean maximum reproductive lifespan for female alligators on the study site was 46 years, and females continued to reproduce for an extended period of time after reaching maximum size. The Schnute growth model...