American Alligator

Anonymous Author

Collection: A Literary Field Guide to the Swamp, Book 7

July 28, 2026

Prompt:

Alligator mississippiensis

Biological Overview

Habitat
Distributed from Florida to North Carolina; live in freshwater.

Diet
Prey size increases when the alligator gets larger; have no natural predators.

Role in Ecosystem
On top level carnivores and have no natural predators.

Behavior
Shy; don’t like to be around humans, very protect over their young.

Human Impact

Even after many acts and laws to reduce poaching, the alligators still declined for many years. “The fish and Wildlife Service changed its status to one of threatened upon similarity of appearance”, even though the species was not endangered. Alligators were harvested for food and leather until the 1950s. Urban development in coastal areas has led to “increasing human alligator encounters.” Today, you have a permit to sell and own any alligators product.

Creative Exploration

I am an american alligator,
I am not a friendly guy,
You won’t see me lurking,
Pray you’re not the one hurting,
I will have you in a death roll
Hope you’re not the one of whom the story is told,
I will make you drop cold,
I am a protector,
A fighter not a lover,
I will make you look like no other.

Addison Stein, Sofia Park, Maris Bree Brooks

Book 7

Is this your story? Log in to edit it.

Tags

Pee Dee/ Grand Strand

Anonymous Author

This fellow Communal Pen-er has chosen not to share their personal information by remaining anonymous. In Communal Pen workshops, sharing is always optional, as is sharing your name with your writings. We appreciate the courage it takes to share our stories, whether or not we add our names to them or not. If you feel that this is your writing and would like to add your name, leave a comment or contact our team directly at communalpen@coastal.edu. Thank you, and happy writing!