Once on the brink of extinction, the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis is now common within its range in the southeastern US. In fact, it’s abundant in some areas and I got to see this firsthand while exploring the cypress swamps of south Florida a few years ago to track this large reptile, as well as the Florida panther. The panther was more of a challenge, but there was plenty of opportunity to study alligator tracks and sign in depth. There wasn’t space in my book for many of my photos so I thought I’d expand on the alligator chapter here. You’ll find a lot more on alligator biology and behavior relevant to camera trapping in the book, but this and my next post will expand on tracks and sign.

Tracks

Because alligators range in size from 9 inch long hatchlings to 15 foot long adults, there is an enormous range in track size. Front tracks measure up to about 5 inches long and 4 inches wide. Hind tracks measure up to about 8 inches long and 5 and 1/3 inches wide. Because alligators continue to grow throughout life, an occasional individual may exceed 15 feet in length and have even larger tracks.

Alligator front feet have five toes. Study the photo of the foot (above) and that of the track (below) to see which toes have claws and which spaces have obvious webbing. Only the first three toes have claws. There is substantial webbing between toes 2 and 3 and between toes 3 and 4, but no webbing between toes 4 and 5. I’m not sure if there is webbing between toes 1 and 2 because I never got a good look.

Alligator hind feet have only four toes, and as with the front feet, only the first three toes have claws. All toes generally point forward, with toe 4 pointing slightly out to the side. There is substantial webbing between toes 3 and 4, and probably more limited webbing between toes 1 and 2 and between toes 2 and 3.

Scat

Alligators do not urinate: Both feces and nitrogenous waste are excreted through a single opening – the cloaca. The scat has a unique consistency which makes it hard to confuse with that of any other animal. Because alligators have powerful digestive juices, you generally do not find hair, bones, or other recognizable remains in the scat. Rather, it is uniform and clay-like. It is brown when fresh and fades to beige, buff, or olive as it dries. When completely dry it is white and crumbly. The size of the scat depends on the size of the animal. An enormous specimen can produce droppings of several inches in diameter. Hatchlings produce tiny scats.

Alligators do not drop scats strategically for marking purposes the way some mammals do; an animal simply deposits one wherever it happens to be when it has to eliminate. Therefore, scat accumulations reflect time spent by the animal in that spot.

Basking Areas

Alligators spend a great deal of time basking in the sun. Each animal has favorite basking areas and these are easy to find if you can recognize alligator scat. Because these spots are used repeatedly, scat tends to accumulate, so look for these collections in sunny spots. A recently used basking area will have some fresher droppings. The diameter of relatively intact scats will tell you whether a small or large animal used that spot.

Sources

Tkaczyk, F. Tracks and Sign of Amphibians and Reptiles: A Guide to North American Species. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2015.

Stay tuned for Part II of Alligator Tracks and Sign.