The American Alligator: Abused, Protected, Restored
By Robert W. Hastings
Coming July 8, 2025
About the Book
The American Alligator traces the history and success of the campaign to protect these crocodilians from extinction in the United States. From initial interactions with prehistoric Indigenous peoples to the recorded history of early European immigrants to North America, this book details the endangerment of alligators brought about by excessive hunting for hides and wetlands habitat destruction.
As the population declined significantly in the early 1800s and into the 1900s, concern grew across the South that the American alligator might be threatened with extinction. Efforts to combat this problem, which included listing the species as endangered and pushing for legal protection, stimulated research and management and led to increased, stable populations. Today, the species is recognized as an economically valuable resource; captive farming and ranch production yield annual harvests valued at millions of dollars. The American alligator, abused for more than a century, has thankfully been restored.
About the Author
Robert W. Hastings, PhD, is a retired marine biologist and devoted conservationist. He served as a college professor for thirty years and was also director of the Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station on Lake Pontchartrain. His book, The Lakes of Pontchartrain: Their History and Environments, was published in 2009. He also served several years as director of the Alabama Natural Heritage Program.
Praise for The American Alligator
“Robert Hastings has compiled an introductory volume about alligators that is succinct and, for the layperson, easy to understand. At the same time, Hastings’s prose keeps the reader engaged and curious about this amazing, often misunderstood creature found throughout the deepest of the Deep South.”—Shane K. Bernard, south Louisiana writer and historian
“Alligators are an integral aspect of life and culture in Louisiana. . . . Bob Hastings, who stands among Louisiana’s greatest naturalists, captures their complex history, ecology, and predictions on their path forward through time.”— Robert. A. Thomas, professor and director, Center for Environmental Communication, Loyola University
“To call Dr. Bob Hastings an extraordinary science educator is an understatement. . . . I know this book will provide readers with information and insight into the lives of these ancient creatures.”—Sue Ellen Lyons, environmental education consultant
“Robert Hastings’s new book is a very unique take on the complicated and important history of this top predator of our southern swamps in a way that has not been done before [and] in a storylike fashion that only a lifelong expert in the field could weave together. The book is truly a must-read for anyone interested in the human culture and environment interaction of this magnificent and often misunderstood creature.”— Dr. Robert Moreau, Manager, Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station, Southeastern Louisiana University
© 2025 Robert W. Hastings
9781959569237 | Paperback | 106 pp. | 6" x 9" | July 8, 2025