@article{ba740f990f6e497cb6a88936b2ec7f74,
title = "Evidence of determinate growth in an American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) based on long-term recapture and osteohistological confirmation",
abstract = "Despite the general perception that crocodilians exhibit indeterminate growth, recent long-term field studies and laboratory investigations have independently suggested that growth in these animals is determinate. In this study, we had the unique opportunity to examine skeletal growth in a wild adult American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) based on change in body length measurements (snout-vent length) in the field and confirm these findings using osteohistological analyses (presence/absence of an external fundamental system [EFS]) of long bones. The alligator was captured and measured five times over 7 years and exhibited no discernable growth during that period, suggesting skeletal maturity had been attained at or prior to its first capture. Our field assessment of determinate growth in this alligator was osteohistologically confirmed by the presence of an EFS in the animal's humerus, femur, tibia, and fibula. To our knowledge, this study is the first to report determinate growth in a wild crocodilian using both field and laboratory methods, providing further evidence of this growth pattern in crocodilians.",
keywords = "Alligator mississippiensis, American alligator, bone, crocodilian, external fundamental system, field study, growth, osteohistology",
author = "Rainwater, {Thomas R.} and Woodward, {Holly N.} and Woodward, {Allan R.} and Wilkinson, {Philip M.}",
note = "Funding Information: The authors thank Jamie Dozier and the staff of the Thomas A. Yawkey Wildlife Center (YWC) for field assistance and logistical support during this study, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for providing research permits, and the Yawkey Foundation I for financial support of our alligator research at YWC over many years. The authors also thank Melissa Fuentes at the Campbell Museum of Natural History, Clemson University, for assistance in preparing bone samples prior to shipment to the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. All handling and marking of alligators in this study conformed to IACUC standards approved by Clemson University (AUP 2016-059). This article represents technical contribution number 6935 of the Clemson University Experimental Station. Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences provided funding to H. N. W. T. R. R. was supported by the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, Yawkey Foundation I, and Clemson University. Funding Information: The authors thank Jamie Dozier and the staff of the Thomas A. Yawkey Wildlife Center (YWC) for field assistance and logistical support during this study, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for providing research permits, and the Yawkey Foundation I for financial support of our alligator research at YWC over many years. The authors also thank Melissa Fuentes at the Campbell Museum of Natural History, Clemson University, for assistance in preparing bone samples prior to shipment to the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. All handling and marking of alligators in this study conformed to IACUC standards approved by Clemson University (AUP 2016‐059). This article represents technical contribution number 6935 of the Clemson University Experimental Station. Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences provided funding to H. N. W. T. R. R. was supported by the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, Yawkey Foundation I, and Clemson University. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 American Association for Anatomy.",
year = "2022",
month = oct,
doi = "10.1002/ar.24688",
language = "English",
volume = "305",
pages = "3101--3108",
journal = "Anatomical Record",
issn = "1932-8486",
publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Inc.",
number = "10",
}