A box-trap design to capture alligators in forested wetland habitats

Although much work has been conducted on coastal populations of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), less is known about the population dynamics and ecology of alligators in inland habitats. This paucity of knowledge may relate to the difficulty in capturing alligators within inland locations, as traditional methods of capture often are compromised by the heterogeneous habitat. To circumvent these problems, we developed an alternative method for capturing alligators that allows researchers to sample forested wetlands using a simple box-trap design. We set traps for 273 trap-nights, resulting in 45 captures. Twenty-nine of these were adults (183–287 cm total length), 9 were juveniles (100–183 cm total length), and 7 were recaptures. Inland population surveys and demographic data sets collected using this capture method can be integrated into more sound alligator management strategies that encompass varying population life histories.