Southern Florida is the only place where both alligators and crocodiles live side by side. the state of Florida. Where: Jimmie Davis State Park Conference Center 1209 State Park Rd. Are There Alligators in the Mississippi River? 1993. Chatham, LA 71226 The meeting is open to the public, and all persons interested in the conservation and management of the fisheries resources and aquatic habitats in Caney Creek Reservoir are encouraged to attend. [2023]. American alligators can be found in the coastal wetlands of the u.s. southeast as far north as north carolina and as far west as eastern texas. Prior to that time, hunters actively killed the species for their hide, and they were on the brink of extinction. 486 pp. Estimates say the alligator population in Alabama is now ten times higher than it was in the 1970's. iStock.com/mrolands Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). The alligator appeared 37 million years ago for the first time. Lamar, W. W. 1997. Wildlife of the Florida Keys: A Natural History. In North Carolina, gators inhabit bay lakes. These states are home to the majority of the nation's alligators, making them ideal spots for observing these reptiles in the wild. However, in the past few years, the population has also grown in these places. The Cuban crocodile, "Trappers catch crocodile in Lake Tarpon," Tampa Bay Times, July 12, 2013. The American alligator is endemic to the United States. [26] Farther west, in Louisiana, heavy grazing by coypu and muskrat are causing severe damage to coastal wetlands. Bibliographic Addendum II. Legal Status. Mitchell, J. C. 1994. [16][17], Alligators are native to only the United States, Mexico, and China. 18 pp. As the alveoli represent dead-ends to flow, the inspired air must move back out the same way it came in. Most of the gators fall in the lower half of the state, with populations in the northern half being nearly non-existent.