The American Alligator: Abused, Protected, Restored
By Robert W. Hastings
Coming Summer 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
© 2025 Robert W. Hastings
9781959569237 | Paperback | 104 pp. | 6" x 9" | Summer 2025