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- Title
Impacts of Diet on Reproductive Performance of Captive American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis).
- Authors
Joanen, Ted; Mikolajczyk, Ashley P.; Staton, Mark; Kaplan, Josh; Holmes, William E.; Zappi, Mark E.
- Abstract
Simple Summary: A significant issue in American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) farming is the high rate of early embryonic deaths among captive eggs. Differences in fatty acid composition between wild and captive eggs have been noted, potentially due to maternal diets. A study was conducted at Golden Ranch using captive breeding alligators fed a specialized diet, supplemented with crawfish waste products. Results showed successful reproductive performance. The breeding females consistently achieved high hatch rates, and the resulting hatchlings exhibited comparable strength and size to their wild counterparts. This suggests that A. mississippiensis can be farmed effectively using captive breeders raised from artificially incubated wild eggs. Historically, there has been little success with the captive breeding of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) for both commercial and conservative purposes. This study, conducted at Golden Ranch in Gheens, LA, between 2016 and 2022, utilized a newly formulated commercial feed and practical dietary supplementation (crawfish waste products) to enhance egg production, fertility, and hatch rates. The primary focus of this study was to compare the outcome of this captive breeding program at Golden Ranch with a program conducted at Rockefeller Refuge (RR) between 1979 and 1984. Notable success was achieved in terms of reproductive performance in comparison to the captive breeding program conducted at Rockefeller Refuge. In this study, 16.1 hatchlings were produced per nest on Golden Ranch from captive breeders. Additionally, when wild nests from Golden Ranch were incubated in the same controlled environmental chambers, they produced an average of 16.3 hatchlings per nest. This comparison emphasizes the similarity in egg production between captive-bred A. mississippiensis and their wild counterparts. The findings of this study suggest that a closed farming system for A. mississippiensis can be established by employing captive breeders derived from artificially incubated wild eggs. Furthermore, American alligators raised in controlled environmental chambers during their initial three years of life demonstrated adaptability to captive conditions and tolerated stocking rates associated with farming conditions and served as breeding stock.
- Subjects
AMERICAN alligator; LIVESTOCK breeding; AGRICULTURE; WASTE products; DIET; EGGS; EGG incubation
- Publication
Animals (2076-2615), 2023, Vol 13, Issue 24, p3797
- ISSN
2076-2615
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/ani13243797