Protective Mothers

From the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

Gators Win Mom of the Year! Protective mom. Alligators have few predators, but alligator moms swim the extra mile to protect their hatchlings. At hatch, mom digs open the nest mound to help hatchlings leave the nest. Moms stay with their hatchlings for the next one to two years, protecting them from LARGER gators and other predators. 

Abby Lawson, researcher at the USGS South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit based at Clemson University has teamed up with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) to identify causes of alligator population fluctuations. The findings will be used to help predict population outcomes of management decisions in the northern portion of the species’ range.

According to Lawson, gators are often simultaneously viewed as a keystone species of ecological importance, a controversial public safety nuisance, and a valuable economic resource. Intensive development on South Carolina’s coastal plain within the alligator’s core range presents additional challenges to effective conservation and management decision-making to satisfy multiple stakeholder groups.

Lawson’s dissertation research is examining population ecology of the alligator under advisement of Patrick Jodice and Dr. Clint Moore of the South Carolina and Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units, respectively.

#MothersDay #USGS U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceSouth Carolina Department of Natural ResourcesClemson University